Only 1,000 heart cases benefit annually from surgical care in Morocco

Only 1,000 heart cases benefit annually from surgical care in Morocco, chairman of Grand CÏur (Great Heart) Association, Mohammed Agherbi, said on Thursday.

Agherbi told a seminar organized by the association that the majority of heart patients don't benefit from medical care because of very high costs, underlining that the average cost of a heart surgery may reach 80,000 DHs (US $8,000) and that only 15 percent of the population has a medical coverage.

Out the 3,500 babies born each year with a heart malformation condition, 1,000 cases require a surgery, he went on, adding that 25 percent of deaths in Morocco are due to heart diseases.

Created two years ago in Rabat, Grand CÏur Association seeks to provide medical care to needy heart patients, reintegrate the patients who undergo a surgery in their social or professional milieu and organize information campaigns.