#Morocco : Medtrucks, when technology and passion meet to save people’s lives

In Morocco, there are more than 10000 dialysis patients that are suffering from renal insufficiency. More than a third of them do not have access to the basic medical assistance needed. They have to walk long distances, or find themselves stuck on long waiting list of patients that determine their survival.  This results in thousands of people that are struggling every day to live with this deadly disease and without the medical treatment needed. Anass El Hilal, a young engineer and entrepreneur from Morocco, has witnessed the scene of an old lady, suffering from kidney failure. After spending more than an hour in different means of transport to go to the next medical center and follow her treatment, she fainted on her way before arriving at the center.  Deeply moved by this scene, Anass strongly believed that there should be a solution to help these people survive. Few months later, he created  Medtrucks with his team, the first platform to work hand in hand with medical actors to provide mobile healthcare solutions with medical trucks.  Today, Medtrucks deploys its service and offers a whole package from cartographical maps, access the need and shortages in the region, to tracking of the progress realized and telemedicine. Medtrucks is also closer than ever to the patients and realized its first medical trip to better assess the need in offering its trucks solutions. StartupBRICS took part in this unique field trip, where the different actors shared insights and built a concrete partnership.  Let us focus on this startup that is revolutionizing healthcare in Morocco with technology, and a lot of passion.

 Medical desert, an uphill battle to survive

With almost 5000 dialysis patients on long waiting list, it is a continuous struggle to receive the necessary treatment, which should be renewed two to three times a week. Long distances, time constraints and financial issues are preventing these patients from having the basic medical needs to live with this difficult disease. It is an urgent problem to solve knowing that the number of patients is growing continuously, with 4000 new cases every year.  With its partners, AIDER SANTE, an healthcare establishment engaged in developing solutions for dialysis of proximity, and Toutenkamion, a market leader for the design and manufacturing of customized mobile units, Medtrucks is bringing together experts in the field to create a long lasting solution for this existing shortage.

Medical trip in Sidi Kacem, engaging locally with an international expertise

On may 24th, a medical delegation, composed of medical expert in dialysis, nurses and technical specialists, arrived in the small city of Sidi Kacem in Morocco, to meet with local medical actors and share experiences and feedbacks on how to improve the current situation.

This trip was also the first step in preparing the arrival of the mobile trucks healthcare solutions provided by Medtrucks and adapting them to the current needs of the patients. Visits of the healthcare center, conferences with representatives from the public sector, which after the trip translated into a successful collect of funding from the medical representative of the Sidi Slimane region. This reflects on the interest raised by this project and the need for it in the visited region, elements which validated the project and positively discussed on ways to implement Medtrucks solutions in Sidi Kacem region.

Thanks to its pilot project, Medtrucks would be able to serve 30 patients suffering from kidney failure, with its first medical trucks.

Medtrucks program, a package of services to fight the shortage of dialysis

More than its medtrucks solution and mobile healthcare, Medtrucks ambitions to offer a technology that allows to adapt the solution to the everyday need of the country with its different services.

• Medmapping: Geolocation of the shortage and live diagnostic of the situation.
• Medtracking: Live track to follow the progress and track its impact
• Mededucation: With its partner AIDER SANTE, to create an online platform to educate and raise awareness on this issue

With its strong social impact, Medtrucks is an ambitious project that has the potential to revolutionize people’s lives from all around Morocco and the African continent. Behind this project, Anass El Hilal and his team are bringing a unique disruptive innovation solution.

“Compared to all potential competitors, Medtrucks is the only solution that brings medical care directly to the patients and significantly improvez the wellbeing of sick people, that no longer suffers from long distance and time constraints. The essence of the project is not simply to improve lives, it is about saving them”.