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Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb has discussed the alarming human resources shortage in the country’s health sector, noting that 600 doctors leave the country every year.
The official made his remarks during a parliamentary session earlier this week, stressing that the challenges are stemming from migration and specialization choices.
The minister then explained that the problem of health workers’ migration is not limited to Morocco, but rather an issue that many countries face across the world.
Ait Taleb pledged that the government has been addressing these challenges through several measures, including the increase of training centers to create “attractiveness for the sector and reduce migration.”
The minister also cited the government’s decision to reduce the number of years of medical training.
The health sector is grappling with many challenges, including a shortage of health professionals, equipment, and ongoing strikes, among others.
On Monday, students of medical and pharmacy faculty in Morocco staged a protest against reforms, including the government’s decision to shorten medical education by one year.
“They took a decision to reduce the number of our education from seven to six years and they expected us to accept it without any clarifications,” a second-year medical student told Morocco World News (MWN).
The decision dates back to February of last year, when the Ministry of Higher Education announced the news.
According to the ministry, the reform aims to meet the objectives of Morocco’s New Development Model and the national project to extend health insurance AMO to every Moroccan.
Several reports have highlighted the need to address challenges hampering the health sector’s development.
One of the reports was from the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH), which has called for a better government of the sector.
Issued in 2023, the report said that in contrast with 23,000 doctors working in Morocco, up to 14,000 others have left the country to work abroad.
The report also criticized the inequity of human resource distribution around the country, as some areas – particularly rural ones – suffer from shortages more than others.
