Marrakech – Health Minister Amine Tahraoui has removed Nouria Saidi from her position as regional health director for Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, according to multiple converging reports. Abdelghani Drhimeur has been appointed as the interim replacement.
The ministry officially announced the decision on October 23. Saidi had been serving in this position since 2021, when she succeeded Abdelmoula Boumaïzate, who currently heads the Casablanca-Settat region.
Drhimeur, who possesses extensive experience in the health sector, previously served as the head of the Hospital Division at the Ministry of Health. According to ministry sources, “This appointment will strengthen healthcare governance and improve regional care services.”
While the official reasons behind this administrative change remain unclear, union sources cited in Assabah newspaper described Saidi’s four-year tenure (2021-2025) as a “poor period” for the regional directorate.
These sources claimed the minister’s decision was motivated by “the director’s insufficient performance and poor management of the sector, in addition to her tense relations with unions.”
The Salé provincial office of the National Health Federation, affiliated with the General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM), had previously called for her removal. They criticized her administrative competence and claimed her management style caused crises threatening healthcare service stability in the region.
Read also: Tehraoui: Chronic Deficits Have Accumulated in Morocco’s Health Sector for Decades
This administrative change is similar to actions taken in Agadir last month when Minister Tahraoui dismissed the Souss-Massa regional health director and the Hassan II Hospital director following his site visit that revealed management deficiencies and poor service quality.
The minister has launched a major restructuring initiative for the health sector, opening applications for thirty hospital director positions across regional and provincial centers.
Ministry sources describe this as part of a comprehensive reorganization aimed at improving governance and ensuring healthcare service continuity.
This effort coincides with the rising global wave of youth-led protests known as the Gen Z protests. In Morocco, Gen Z-led demonstrations branded “GenZ 212” have pressed for better public education and healthcare, accountability, and a rebalance of spending – organizing largely via Discord and other platforms across major cities.
King Mohammed VI has steered policy toward social sectors. The latest guidance and ministerial meeting under his chairmanship set total 2026 allocations for health and education at MAD 140 billion – roughly $15 billion – a significant uptick intended to answer youth demands and strengthen services.
