Morocco Expands Universal Health Coverage to 88% of Population

Rabat – Under the visionary leadership of King Mohammed VI, Morocco has placed universal health coverage (UHC) at the heart of its social agenda, Health and Social Protection Minister Amine Tehraoui affirmed on Saturday in Tokyo.

Speaking at the 2025 High-Level Forum on UHC, Tehraoui highlighted Morocco’s significant progress in expanding social protection, restructuring the national health system, and laying the foundations for sustainable and equitable coverage by 2030.

“The mandatory health insurance now covers around 88% of the population, integrating over 22 million new beneficiaries, including self-employed workers and vulnerable groups,” the minister said, emphasizing the scope of Morocco’s achievements. He noted that the royal social protection initiative goes beyond recognizing new rights, aiming to strengthen and fundamentally restructure the healthcare system.

Aligned with the directives of King Mohammed VI, Tehraoui stressed that expanding social coverage must go hand-in-hand with a comprehensive transformation of healthcare organization and delivery. Morocco’s ambitious health system overhaul rests on four strategic pillars.

The first focuses on enhancing governance, through the creation of new institutions and clearer responsibilities at both national and regional levels, bringing public decision-making closer to citizens’ needs. The second pillar addresses upgrading healthcare services, including modernizing university and regional hospitals, rehabilitating primary health centers, and ensuring equitable access to essential care nationwide.

The third pillar centers on human resources, highlighting the need to expand training capacities, update curricula to meet current population needs, and improve working conditions to retain and motivate healthcare professionals. The fourth pillar emphasizes digital transformation, with an integrated information system and a Shared Patient Record, essential tools for continuous patient monitoring, effective planning, and decision-making.

Tehraoui also highlighted the financial commitment behind these reforms. National health spending has steadily increased, helping improve health indicators and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for households. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection’s budget has more than quadrupled from 2010 to 2026, reaching 42.4 billion dirhams, or 8.8% of the state’s general budget, reflecting the government’s firm support for these reforms.

However, he stressed that ensuring the quality and sustainability of spending remains critical. The government’s priorities include maintaining the financial integrity of mandatory health insurance schemes, providing strong state support for vulnerable populations, and rationalizing medical costs through prevention, primary care, and accessible frontline services.

On the international stage, Tehraoui reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to playing a leading role in promoting UHC across Africa, particularly through South-South cooperation. Morocco shares its expertise in health financing, social protection, and human resource development to help other countries build stronger, fairer, and more resilient healthcare systems.

Morocco’s participation in the UHC forum forms part of a global initiative to develop national health pacts, with the country among 21 nations adopting precise indicators to monitor progress toward UHC. Tehraoui reiterated Morocco’s dedication to implementing its National Health Pact through concrete measures, including reducing financial barriers, modernizing infrastructure, investing in human resources, and mobilizing innovation and private-sector investment across the healthcare value chain.

Co-organized by the Japanese government, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank Group, the event provides a strategic platform for ministers of health and finance to advance UHC through innovative reform and financing approaches.