In Morocco, brain drain has become increasingly common in recent years. While the kingdom is in the process of generalizing medical care and needs all its skills, dozens of nurses and doctors are leaving the country for a better future due to dire working conditions.

For the medical and nursing profession, Canada has become the leading destination. Even if the sky is not as blue there as it is here, nurses in this country, for example, find what they do not have at home, namely appreciation for the work of each individual and a merciless fight against overtaking manoeuvres.

In a video shared on social networks, a young nurse, Hafssa Belline, who had worked as a nurse in Temara for ten years, finally decided to leave the motherland for Canada.

” I love my country and I love my job and helping people in need. But I was forced to leave my post and my nation because the working conditions were not there. Several reasons made me reconsider my life and career as a nurse. And I’m not at all surprised to see several other nurses and managers leaving Morocco for Canada.” began with the unveiling of the young nurse in a 6-minute video shared on the social network Facebook.

About 1,000 nurses of various nationalities land in Canada every month. In October 2022 alone, more than 30 nurses arrived from Morocco, according to Hafssa.

» We have received letters from the Order of Nurses of Canada to welcome, help and accompany these nurses, particularly on a social level (help finding rent, etc.) to start their lives. Others will surely followt,” she clarified.

In terms of working conditions, Hafssa Belline says that although things are not as simple as they seem, they are ten times better in Canada than in Morocco.

» It hurts to say, but it’s the reality. We have an order of nurses, a qualification classifier. And when a nurse starts working in Canada, they don’t get lost between the tasks they have to do and not to do. He knows exactly what he has to do, he knows his well-defined limits. He knows where a registered nurse’s skills begin and end. No one may exceed their scope of action and the tasks assigned to them“, she said.

At this point it should be remembered that the movement of nurses and health technicians in Morocco has been calling for the establishment of an employment and qualifications reference system (REC) for years, which will define the tasks of each individual, since they face tasks that are not in their Powers fall and where they risk the sanction if it ends badly. A claim that has unfortunately never been taken into account by the Moroccan Ministry of Health.

Citing several examples of favorable working conditions in Canada, Hafssa returned to nurses’ salaries. ” Every hour worked here is paid. In Morocco, you work more than your legal working hours and are not paid for overtime. If your colleague is late, which means you have to stay an hour or two longer, you won’t get paid. Here you work 15 minutes longer, note it on the cash register, you will be paid at the end. As simple as that” , She says.

In Quebec, the province where the young nurse lives and works, there is what is known as mandatory overtime (TSO), which is likely to be an inconvenience for some, she specifies.

” When you work at this TSO you will be paid double. An hour’s work costs $23. If you add another mandatory shift, which is TSO, you get paid double, or $46 an hour, which is motivating for a large category of nurses. The final salary enables a good standard of living in addition to the good social security“, She explains.

After recording this video, Hafssa Belline clarified that it was not her intention to encourage nurses to come to Canada and further increase the shortage of medical professionals. However, she is questioned daily by several of her sisters and brothers in Morocco about the modalities of immigration.

” Nothing motivates you to stay and work in Morocco. Even if you have the will and want to serve your country, there are many disadvantages and you fight alone, which is not easy. And I speak knowingly because I’ve lived it. I worked in miserable conditions, rowing alone against the current. After a while I let go. Even if the person is motivated and wants to give their all in their chosen area, if you don’t find support from those in charge, you end up letting go‘ she complained.

In Canada, the Order of Nurses encourages immigration and the admission of new profiles by offering them many benefits. ” In my case, I had to repeat my training from the beginning, but for some, the order provides training and follow-up. He identifies the shortcomings of each person and helps them to eliminate them. It also asks what your needs are, where you most want to improve, etc. If you choose an area of ​​training, this will be done for you and you will be better paid. In fact, every hour is paid when you are in training ‘ the young nurse explains.

Lately, Hespress UK had learned from reliable sources that 13 nurses working at Mohamed Bouafi’s provincial hospital in Casablanca had suddenly left their posts for Canada.

Having already been there and seen the current state of this hospital, we better understand why health managers are leaving en masse, given the total negligence of those in charge of the sector. In addition, the recent agreement signed between the government and the unions representing the sector was not welcomed by several professionals in the sector, particularly the nurses, who felt that this agreement gave them nothing in return justice still responding to their demands.

The main demands of nurses in Morocco include compensation for occupational risks not provided for in the agreement, as well as complaints that do not involve financial costs, such as the creation of the Order of Nurses, the development of the Employment and Qualifications Reference System (REC) , the revision of the promotion conditions as well as the hiring of graduates suffering from unemployment, the number of which amounts to about 6,000, knowing that the sector has a severe shortage of nurses and TS.