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Join on Telegram Rabat – King Mohammed VI has seized the celebration of World Health Day, convening health experts in Rabat in 2019, as an opportunity to instruct the government of Morocco on issues facing the sector.
The King gave a message to the participants of the World Health Day symposium today, in which he called for a reform of the primary healthcare system. The state-run news agency, Maghreb Arab Press, published his full address.
According to the King, “Reforming the primary health care system should be one of the main pillars of this drive, together with the Kingdom of Morocco’s commitment to press ahead with efforts to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.”
A report from the High Commissioner for Planning (HCP) issued in November 2018 showed that only 16.2 million of Morocco’s 34.8 million people have healthcare coverage.
Another 2018 report from Morocco’s Court of Auditors also shared alarming loopholes in medical services, such as lack of specialized doctors and specialized medical services.
In his message, the King said that ensuring effective health insurance plans requires “innovative financing for the services these plans provide, especially at this time of rising costs, populations aging at a faster rate, [and] the increase in chronic diseases.”
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The King added that a mechanism should be put in place to reduce “the squandering of funds and tackle low efficiency.”
The monarch also called for the creation of a “new dynamic in order to overcome the various obstacles and constraints faced.”
While public hospitals in Morocco provide some free or low-cost medical services, healthcare insurance is often needed for more extensive treatment, especially for private clinics.
The King has said that Morocco has been making efforts to “ensure the gradual achievement of universal primary health coverage, making sure it benefits citizens from all social strata.”
The King also recalled that Morocco put in place a strategy to grant health coverage for migrants in 2014 as part of Morocco’s efforts to integrate migrants willing to stay in the country.
“Compulsory health coverage was introduced in 2005, and medical assistance for all was achieved in 2012. Moreover, health coverage for migrants was instituted in 2014 and was followed by a health coverage scheme for students enrolled in higher education institutions, both in the public and vocational training sectors,” said the monarch.
The sovereign then concluded his message by urging the government to speed up the “promulgation of legislative, regulatory and implementation instruments concerning the reform of primary health care, and to continue expanding compulsory insurance plans.”
The King believes that the strategy should enhance accessibility to healthcare services in Morocco.
