Morocco is facing a severe and ongoing shortage of essential medicines, with over 600 drugs out of stock nationwide – including treatments for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, neurological disorders, and cancer.
The Moroccan Consumer Rights Association (FMDC) conveyed concerns over the situation, noting that this is no longer a temporary disruption but a systemic collapse that threatens public trust in the entire healthcare system.
In a recent statement, FMDC says that it has received dozens of complaints from citizens who spend days searching pharmacies with no results. Many are unable to find life-saving medications and are left to ration doses or go without.
Despite repeated warnings, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection has failed to act. The association blames the crisis on poor oversight, lack of planning, and the absence of a proper pharmaceutical monitoring system. It calls the situation a direct threat to the right to treatment and accuses the government of neglect.
The association is demanding an independent investigation into the causes of the shortages, accountability for those involved in hoarding or manipulating supplies, the creation of a national system to monitor drug availability in real time, and the establishment of a state-controlled strategic stockpile to prevent future crises.
It also warned pharmaceutical companies and distributors against profiteering from the crisis, accusing some of deliberately creating shortages to manipulate prices. It emphasized that medicine should be treated as a critical public good, not as a commercial product, and stressed the fatal health consequences such practices can have on vulnerable populations.
