As the hashtag « #Miraouidégage » trends on social media, Abdellatif Miraoui, the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, noted that the issue concerning medical and pharmacy students has been ongoing for over five months, except for dental students.
According to Miraoui, despite the government’s efforts to positively respond to medical students’ demands, they boycotted the spring session exams starting from June 26, a date set at their request.
These statements were made during the weekly oral questions session at the House of Councillors.
The minister emphasized that this crisis continues « after many meetings where clear answers were provided to the students’ questions. » He criticized the students for going back on agreements after returning to their assemblies.
The demands addressed included the duration of training for a medical doctorate, thesis issues, specialty training, the legal status of residents, and increased allowances for interns.
The government has committed to re-examining disciplinary sanctions, modifying transcripts, and allowing the continuation of hospital internships after passing exams, but these commitments are conditioned on the resumption of exams and normal faculty operations.
The minister also mentioned that the initial point of discussion was reducing the training duration from 7 to 6 years. The government responded by offering optional hospital internships after the sixth year.
Finally, Miraoui affirmed that « all student concerns regarding studies and internships have been addressed, » highlighting modern training methods like artificial intelligence, telemedicine, and medical simulation.