Morocco’s Non-RAMED Households to Receive Stipends Starting Thursday

Rabat – The Ministry of Economy and Finance has announced that workers with suspended activities who do not have the Medical Assistance Plan (RAMED) will start receiving stipends beginning April 23.

The Economic Monitoring Committee (CVE), working under the economy ministry, launched registration on April 9 for non-RAMED holders who work in the informal sector and whose livelihoods are directly affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

The program is part of Morocco’s campaign to express solidarity with people who lost their jobs or whose sources of income were suspended due to the lockdown.

Any workers who declared a job loss or pay suspension–those registered with RAMED or the CNSS as well as those not registered–will receive stipends sponsored by the Special Fund for the Management and Response to COVID-19.

King Mohammed VI ordered the creation of the fund on March 15.

The Ministry of Economy set conditions for non-RAMED holders to benefit from the stipends.

A ministry statement clarified that the amounts of aid granted per household as well as the withdrawal procedure will be identical to those served to households registered in the RAMED service.

Households of two people or less will receive stipends of MAD 800 ($80), while households of three to four people will receive MAD 1,000 ($100).

Households of more than four people will benefit from MAD 1,200 ($121).

The ministry said that SMS notifications will direct beneficiaries to receive the stipends, and will be sent over several days to avoid congestion at withdrawal points.

The government has been warning that crowds pose a direct threat to the COVID-19 spread.

“Anyone who has not received messages is invited not to travel,” the ministry said.

The SMS should include a code and the name of a specific institution where the withdrawal can take place.

If the SMS includes the name of a specific ATM at a banking institution, the beneficiaries should enter the number received in the text message and the last 4 digits of their CIN for the PIN code.

“If the CIN number is less than four digits, the digits of the PIN code must be completed with zeros (0) on the right,” the CVE said in the ministry press release.