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Rabat – The World Health Organization (WHO) has shared alarming data on noncommunicable diseases, describing them as the most pressing public health challenges in Morocco.
In a statement on Wednesday, the WHO said noncommunicable diseases cause nearly 85% of all deaths in Morocco. The number includes 24% deaths among people aged between 30 and 70.
Noncommunicable diseases are defined as chronic; they include diseases like cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.
The report stressed that over 163,000 Moroccans “require palliative care each year due to chronic illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders,” the report said, describing the palliative care as “once overlooked.”
WHO cited a survey conducted among adults aged 18 between 2017-2018, showing that 94.3% “had at least one risk factor for NCDs.”
The factors include smoking, unhealthy diets, physical activity, and obesity.
The report also shed light on other challenges that cause a burden to the already-fragile health sector in Morocco. WHO said that the noncommunicable diseases put financial pressure on Morocco’s health care system.
Diseases like end-stage kidney disease, cancer, and diabetes consume “over 73% of spending on long-term illnesses,” the report said.
Among the other challenges that Morocco’s health sector faces is the insufficient number of health workers.
For the WHO, Morocco’s resources remain limited as the North African country has only 1.5 health care workers per 1,000 people.
The number is far below the UN Sustainable Development Goal target of 4.45.
Challenges related to “brain drain” continue to weigh down Morocco’s health sector.
In 2022, former Minister of Higher Education Abdellatif Miraoui said that nearly 3,700 Moroccan professionals, including doctors and engineers, leave Morocco annually.
According to other official estimates, approximately 700 doctors, 2,000 to 3,000 engineers, in addition to 30,000 workers in the field of tourism, emigrate each year for various reasons.
Crises in Morocco’s health facilities caused uproar and protests in varying cities in recent weeks.
The uproar intensified after several pregnant women died following the cesarean operations at the Hassan II Regional Hospital in Agadir.
According to the WHO’s recent report, at least 2.57 million older adults suffer from at least one noncommunicable disease. The report also cited the concerning situation amid the rise of live expectancy and decline in fertility rates.
