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Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb has again openly acknowledged the deep-seated crisis facing Morocco’s healthcare system.
Kahlid Ait Taleb revealed the disturbing news in remarks on Monday, noting that the North African country only has six forensic doctors.
Forensic medicine involves medical specialities that includes autopsies to determine the presence or absence of disease, in addition to helping with investigations to trace evidence or assess cause of death, among others.
Ait Taleb made his remarks in response to a question from a parliamentarian who had expressed concerns about the dire shortage in forensic medicals, especially in remote areas in Zagora.
When the MP asked the health minister about the urgent need for establishing a for forensic medicines, Ait Taleb responded that the issue was more deep-seated and went beyond the mere lack of a specialized center for forensic medicine.
“The problem is not about creating a center or a morgue, but how to find the forensic medicine specialist; we can create morgues across Morocco, but the problem is that we do not have forensic doctors,” he said.
The minister went on to attribute the situation to brain drain.
“We have lost many experts in this field and we need at least five years of specialization after the six years of medical education to train others,” he said, adding that the speciality is not attractive for many.
“Young people wonder why choose this speciality and how it could benefit them,” he added.
Brain drain is not only limited to forensic experts, but extended across various medical specialities.
In 2022, Minister of Higher Education Abdellatif Miraoui indicated that nearly 3,700 Moroccan professionals, including doctors and engineers leave Morocco annually.
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According to other official estimates, approximately 700 doctors and between 2,000 to 3,000 engineers, in addition to 30,000 workers in the field of tourism, emigrate each year for various reasons.
In his Monday remarks, the minister described the emigration of so many experts and talented professionals as an “immeasurable” loss for Morocco.
Minister of Equipment Nizar Baraka echoed similar concerns earlier this month, when he said that Morocco loses between 600 and 700 doctors every year.
Last year, the country’s Court of Audit released an alarming report on the increasingly concerning loss of human resources in the Moroccan health sector.
By the end of 2021, the number of health workers per 1,000 people in Morocco was 1.64, well below the minimum of 4.45 needed to meet the targets set by the United Nations.
The issue of brain drain comes on top of several crises facing the Moroccan healthcare sector, including the protests being led by doctors, nurses, as well as medical students.
Students of medical and pharmacy faculty across Morocco have in recent weeks continued to fiercely protest against government reforms, most notably the decision to shorten medical education by one year.
In response, the government continues to call on students to end the strike to save the academic year.
“Stop the strike, resume classes, and then we will discuss,” Miraoui urged the students in April.
