In an era where social media fosters quick judgments and misleading generalizations, the transport of a sub-Saharan African migrant, living irregularly in Morocco, from Dakhla to the University Hospital in Marrakech on a medical aircraft has sparked outrage. Some described the scene as «provocative», questioning how a migrant could receive healthcare that a Moroccan woman might only dream of. In recent hours, social media has been filled with angry posts and comments after an Ivorian migrant, living irregularly in Dakhla, was transferred to the university hospital in Marrakech on a special medical plane, a «Learjet 45». The scene was described as «provocative», with some even labeling it as an example of «state discrimination, favoring foreigners over its own citizens». Many posts pointed out that «a Moroccan in a similar situation would have been transported in a coffin», referencing a widely publicized incident in which a Moroccan woman from the Ait Abbas area was transported on a coffin to reach a health center. A policy established for years However, this narrative, whether intentionally misleading or simply ignorant, overlooks the fact that Morocco has been routinely using helicopters and medical planes for years to save the lives of its citizens—making no distinction between those with a national ID card and those who are struggling to hold onto life. For example, in 2015, a Moroccan woman in critical condition was urgently transferred from Laayoune to the university hospital in Marrakech after complications from childbirth made local treatment impossible. The following year, a 30-year-old man, who had sustained multiple injuries after falling from a height of nine meters, was airlifted from Laayoune to Marrakech by a medical helicopter. In 2017, authorities dispatched a medical helicopter to the high mountains of Bouiblane, where a pregnant woman was trapped in the snow, waiting for rescue in harsh weather conditions. That same year, three critical cases were evacuated via medical planes. These included the transfer of a two-and-a-half-year-old child from Tibourdin to the regional hospital in Azilal, a 48-year-old man from Boujdour to the regional hospital in Laayoune, and a woman from Sidi Yahya Ousaad to the Mohammed VI University Hospital in Fez. In 2018, a medical helicopter conducted eight interventions in the provinces of Beni Mellal and Azilal, transferring emergency cases to hospitals in Beni Mellal, Azilal, and the university hospital in Marrakech. In 2020, another helicopter intervened to transport a Moroccan woman from Bouarfa to Oujda, where critical medical care was required at the regional hospital. In September 2024, a helicopter from the Royal Gendarmerie was used to transfer two patients from the Tagmout community to the provincial hospital in Tata for necessary treatment. One patient was pregnant, and the other was suffering from renal failure. Addressing the real issue These examples show that air medical transport is neither a luxury nor an exceptional favor. It is a strategic tool to save lives in a country where territorial disparities in access to healthcare remain glaring. Rather than being outraged by an isolated case, the real question to ask is: how can we ensure that this type of care becomes the norm for all people in danger, regardless of their place of residence? How can we strengthen the healthcare system in remote areas to reduce costly and logically limited emergency evacuations? These are essential questions, far from the emotional shortcuts that sometimes dominate online debates.
