Moroccan medical students end 11-month strike following agreement with government

After an 11-month strike, the National Committee of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Dental Students announced that it has signed a settlement agreement with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, under the supervision of the Kingdom’s Mediator.

The committee noted that the decision followed «a democratic day in the faculties of medicine and pharmacy, with large gatherings and strong student turnout to participate in the vote on the proposal, leading to the decision to suspend the strike».

«The settlement addressed the majority of the students' demands outlined in their list of grievances, which prompted them to launch an indefinite strike on December 16, 2023—the longest student-led movement of its kind in history».

The Kingdom Mediator Foundation, an independent national institution for promoting institutional communication, confirmed in a statement the success of the settlement initiative it led between the administration and the medical and pharmacy students. This agreement resulted in students returning to their classes and clinical training and marked an end to nearly eleven months of protests, which had included a complete boycott of classes and exams.

This outcome reflects the collective efforts of all parties involved, showcasing the productive coordination between the Mediator Foundation and other participants, which helped create a constructive environment for dialogue, fostered trust, and facilitated the exchange of ideas, reads a press release by the institution. This collaborative effort ultimately led to solutions that provide a constitutional, legal, effective, and realistic response to the students' demands.

At the same time, the Foundation emphasized the importance of these efforts in reaching this settlement and urged all involved to continue peaceful dialogue within a framework of trust and goodwill. This commitment is essential to ensuring the quality of medical training, advancing the national health sector, and strengthening the sovereignty of Morocco’s healthcare system.

In closing, the Foundation called on all stakeholders to cultivate mutual trust and establish ongoing communication channels to implement the agreement, benefiting both medical education and the public institutions in Morocco.