In response to remarks made by MP Abdellah Bouanou (PJD) during Thursday's parliamentary session on the first part of the 2026 Finance Bill, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection firmly rejected claims of granting privileges or monopolies for the import of potassium chloride (KCl), a vital medication for intensive care, surgery and anesthesia. Bouanou had alleged that the ministry granted, under the temporary authorization for use (ATU) procedure, the import of KCl to «a government minister who owns a pharmaceutical company». He further claimed that the company «imported the drug from China and that the product contained information written in Chinese, which he said led to its withdrawal because doctors could not read the instructions». In its statement, the Ministry described Bouanou's remarks as «unfounded and harmful to national efforts to ensure drug security and continuity of hospital care». It clarified that potassium chloride recently faced a nationwide shortage due to the temporary shutdown of a local manufacturer undergoing expansion and upgrading works. The Moroccan Agency for Medicines intervened under Law 17-04 by helping the company accelerate the resumption of production, supporting another Moroccan firm to launch local manufacturing, and issuing temporary import authorizations open to any operator meeting strict legal and technical requirements, until national supply is fully restored, it added. The Ministry stressed that these temporary authorizations «do not grant preferential treatment in public procurement», noting that tender procedures «automatically prioritize nationally licensed products in full compliance with the law». It added that all potassium chloride purchases were conducted exclusively through «transparent, legal tenders open to national producers». University hospitals, which have administrative and financial autonomy, follow the same procurement procedures to ensure integrity and transparency.
