Mohammed VI Perinatal Clinic in Bamako, 'a Jewel, Much to the Delight of Malians'

Bamako - The Mohammed VI Perinatal Clinic in Bamako, made available to the Malian authorities as part of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, is a "jewel, much to the delight of the Malian population", said Sunday Malian Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Michel Hamala Sidibé. "This ultramodern hospital, offered by the Kingdom, is a wonderful gift that we receive in this blessed month of Ramadan. It will enormously help our country in its fight against Covid-19, but also and above all in terms of care to mothers and children," Sidibé told MAP after a visit to this health facility.

"On behalf of the President of the Republic, I thank HM King Mohammed VI for this gift," he added, noting that "in collaboration with the Moroccan ambassador, we have already started the process of handing over the hospital to the health administration of Mali". "Once this process is complete, we will immediately start exploiting this jewel to the delight of the people of Mali," he said. For his part, Morocco's ambassador to Mali, Hassan Naciri, said that "upon high Royal instructions, we agreed on the Moroccan-Malian bilateral plan, as of the announcement of the provision of the Perinatal Mohammed VI Clinic in Mali". This consultation mobilized on the Moroccan side, the Embassy of the Kingdom and the Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development, as the contracting authority, he explained. On the Malian side, it involved the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Naciri added. "We have agreed, from the start, on a working method with the effect of acting on two essential aspects of the operationalization of the Mohammed VI Clinic, namely the financial aspect and the legal-administrative aspect," he pointed out. "To date, the Moroccan side has completed preparations on the ground as we saw firsthand during a visit with the Minister of Health and Social Affairs," he said, adding that "on the legal and administrative level, the notarial act-donation has been finalized". And as a prelude to the handover, a team made up of the two parties started the inventory process last Thursday, he added. As this is a complex project with high technological added value, remote training is underway for Malian executives who will be in charge of ensuring the proper functioning of this modern architectural and health jewel, said the Moroccan diplomat. This modern clinic was built by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development over a surface area of 5 hectares (donation from the Malian State).