The Secretary-General of the International Committee of Military Medicine (ICCM), Lieutenant-General Pierre Neirinckx, praised, on November 22 in Marrakech, Morocco’s effective management of the effects of the earthquake that struck several regions of the Kingdom.
Intervening at the opening of the 6th Pan-Arab Regional Congress and the 6th Maghrebian Regional Congress on Military Medicine, Neirinckx commended Morocco’s “dedication and intervention in managing this disaster, which resulted in the loss of so many lives and the injury of several others”.
The ICCM Secretary-General expressed, on behalf of the international military medical community, his “gratitude” to His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) for maintaining the organization of this regional Pan-Arab and Maghrebian Congress under the aegis of the International Committee of Military Medicine (ICCM).
The Lieutenant-General recalled that ICCM member countries, who met at the Pan-African Regional Congress in Egypt, paid tribute to the lives lost and injured in both Al Haouz earthquake and the deadly floods that occurred in Libya.
Neirinckx also pointed out that the world is experiencing an upsurge in natural disasters, armed conflicts, and terrorist acts on almost every continent, with the resulting increase in civilian and military casualties and displaced people.
“In light of the surge of patients and wounded, we can only pursue our mission of sharing expertise to improve the quality of care for all victims, regardless of their camp, status, or beliefs,” affirmed the Secretary-General.
In a similar context, the Secretary-General noted that alongside scientific exchanges over more than a century, the ICMM has been committed to teaching and implementing International Humanitarian Law, the Geneva Conventions, and their Additional Protocols through Congresses and training courses on the Law of Armed Conflict, stressing the imperative of taking all necessary measures to promote prevention and education in these fields.
The Lieutenant-General also affirmed that the ICMM General Secretariat is “committed to helping those who express a need for support without any bias, while respecting the values to which member countries have adhered, namely independence, neutrality, impartiality, universality, reliability, quality, and transparency”, reiterating the ICMM’s commitment to promoting all actions aimed at promoting peace.
For his part, Tunisia’s Director General of Military Health, Brigadier General Mounir Azaiez, expressed his confidence that the FAR Health Service, with its chairmanship of the Pan-African and Maghrebian Regional Working Groups, will strive to achieve a better exchange and dissemination of knowledge in the field of military medicine.
“I firmly believe that Morocco will pursue its central role in strengthening ties between members of the working groups,” stated the Tunisian military official.
Organized under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), the FAR Health Service is hosting, under the aegis of the ICMM, the 6th Pan-Arab Regional Congress and the 6th Maghrebian Regional Congress on Military Medicine between November 23 and 25 in Marrakech.
Participants in these Congresses include lecturers and actors in the field of military health, in addition to delegations from member Arab countries of the Pan-Arab and Maghrebian regional working groups on military medicine, as well as several guest countries, and leading civilian and military figures.
The main theme of this conclave is the major challenges facing military medicine in the future, with a focus on new approaches applied in combat zones and/or disaster situations, national and international medical and social action, and quality care in the military sphere.
The Royal Armed Forces (FAR) Health Service will chair the Pan-Arab and Maghrebian Regional Working Groups on Military Medicine for a two-year term.