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Rabat – Morocco’s medical faculties recorded an 88% increase in student capacity in 2024, according to the Minister of Health and Social Protection Amine Tahraoui.
This significant expansion is in line with Morocco’s strategy to address the growing demand for healthcare workers and boost the country’s health services.
Speaking at a hearing session at the House of Representatives, Tahraoui outlined the ministry’s plans to create 7.543 new seats at medical faculties as of 2027, with a budget of MAD 3 billion (USD 297.34 million).
In detail, the minister said that the number of nurses and health technicians jumped to 8.360 seats for bachelor degrees and 680 for master degrees during 2024, stressing that his department is working to increase the number to 11.900 by 2029.
The ministry is also working on a project to create 16 research groups and 4 research laboratories in the doctoral cycle in Higher Institutes of Nursing Professions, added Tahraoui.
Read also: Moroccan Medical Students End Year-Long Strike Post Landmark Agreement with Government
In the same vein, the minister spoke of his department’s plans to boost the number of residency positions for specialist doctors over a five-year period, with an increase of 100 positions each year for contractual residents and 50 positions for non-contractual residents.
The initiative aims to increase the number of healthcare staff from 18 to 45 workers per 10.000 capita by 2030, in line with the World Health Organization’s standards, according to Tahraoui.
The ministry has already invested in this aspect to boost healthcare services by implementing a strategy to allocate 6.500 budgetary positions by 2025.
However, the healthcare education system underwent a critical crisis due to the medical students strike that kicked off in December 2023, raising concerns over training-related issues. Among the demands were improvement of clinical training, equitable internship distribution, and clearer paths to postgraduate specialization, among other issues.
Additionally, the country loses between 600 and 700 doctors every year who migrate to other countries, leading to a shortage of health workers. This, coupled with an inequitable distribution of resources, rings alarming bells concerning the healthcare sector in Morocco.
