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Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Health announced a national plan to rehabilitate 83 hospitals across the country amid mounting scrutiny questioning the strength of the public health sector.
Minister of Health Amine Tahraoui presented Morocco’s plan for the sector at the House of Representatives on Monday, saying that the rehabilitation program covers 83 hospitals with a total capacity of 8,700 beds.
Of these, 1,729 beds will be operational this year, with an additional 2,056 beds expected by 2028.
He pledged an ambitious investment policy seeking to expand and modernize public hospitals to strengthen healthcare services, noting that the rehabilitation project will be completed by 2030.
The program includes the construction of five new university hospital centers in Agadir, Laayoune, Errachidia, Guelmim, and Beni Mellal, as well as the reconstruction of Ibn Sina Hospital in Rabat, with a total projected capacity of 3,807 beds.
The project also aims to upgrade existing centers in Fez, Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, and Oujda, in addition to an ongoing implementation of a national program to rehabilitate 1,400 rural health centers.
The minister detailed that 950 centers have been renovated, with the rest expected to be completed by the end of this year. Additionally, he cited that 71% of Morocco’s healthcare infrastructure is located in rural areas, including 2,186 facilities and 433 second-level centers equipped with maternity units or emergency services.
Beyond construction and rehabilitation, the ministry pledged measures that focus on improving the patient experience through better reception and modern hygiene and safety systems.
Pledges amid growing scrutiny
The pledges come amid public scrutiny fueled by viral videos, showcasing deteriorating conditions in several medical facilities.
The country’s healthcare system has been facing criticism, including from doctors who condemned the severe lack of equipment and chronic shortages in medical personnel.
In rural areas, the challenges are more acute as residents struggle with the absence of nearby health centers, as well as a lack of accessible maternity services that pose grave risks to pregnant women.
In May, the World Bank said that out of 100,000 live births in 2018, 111 mothers died in rural areas compared with 45 in urban areas, noting that there were also 26 deaths per 1,000 births in rural areas compared with 19 in urban areas.
Last year, Minister of Equipment Nizar Baraka said Morocco loses between 600 and 700 doctors who migrate to other countries every year.
In March 2023, the Court of Audit released a report, containing alarming data on the state of human resources within the health sector.
According to the report, the number of health workers per 1,000 per capita stood at 1.64, way below the 4.4 minimum necessary to reach sustainable development goals set by the UN.
In 2022, Morocco’s Human Rights Council (CNDH) called for better health governance, outlining the challenges facing the sector.
The report also criticizes the inequity of human resource distribution around the country, as some areas – particularly rural ones – suffer from shortages more than others.
