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Despite a very advanced vaccination campaign, Morocco inherits a poor ranking in the new index of Global Health Security (GHS) in the world. Among the indicators taken into account: vaccination, but also the capacity of hospitals and health centers to take care of patients during epidemics and pandemics.
Almost two years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which claimed more than 5 million lives worldwide, all countries “remain dangerously ill-prepared” for future epidemic and pandemic threats, including threats potentially more devastating than the Covid-19. That’s the conclusion of the new 2021 Global Health Security Index report, which assesses the capacities of 195 countries to prepare for epidemics and pandemics.
The Global Health Security Index is compiled by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the Nuclear Threat Initiative and the Economist Intelligence Unit. The GHS index is divided into six categories aimed at assessing the capacity of countries “to prevent, detect and respond to biological threats” as well as “factors that may hamper or improve this capacity, such as health systems, standards and the risks”.
Of the 195 countries assessed in the index, Morocco is ranked 108th globally and 11th in Africa, with a total score of 33.6 points out of 100. The kingdom has lost two places compared to the 2019 edition.
Morocco’s capacity to cope with “antimicrobial resistance” has earned it this poor score in particular, in addition to “surveillance and alert mechanisms” and the capacity of its “hospitals and health centers to take charge of patients. patients during epidemics”.
The “weak capacities” of health personnel to “work and respond to epidemics” are also cited.
Regarding vaccination, Morocco is doing very well with a score of 100 points out of 100.
The United States first
The index assigns the highest scores to countries with “the greatest capacities” to prevent and respond to epidemics and pandemics. Thanks to “its scientific capabilities,” the United States was ranked first in the 2021 index, just like in 2019.
Still, the United States has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world, and its “response to the pandemic has generally been viewed as extremely poor,” the report said.
Globally, “Countries continue to suffer from the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic due to insufficient health security capacity. This capacity gap comes at a time when politics and security risks have increased in almost all countries, and the sustainable financial investments needed to maintain these capacities have yet to be demonstrated”.
“Such weaknesses leave a world extremely vulnerable to future health emergencies, including those potentially more devastating than Covid-19,” added the authors of the report.
