Survey Reveals Deteriorating Financial Conditions of Medical Students in Morocco

Rabat – A recent survey by Morocco’s National Commission of Students in Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy has shed light on the difficult socio-economic conditions of medical students in the public health sector, particularly pointing to the lack of sufficient financial aid.

The results indicate that 92% of medical students in Morocco depend on their families’ financial support to finish their studies. Nearly 58% have changed their eating habits since their enrollment in medical school due to financial constraints, while 96% of the surveyed students said that they have never received meals while interning or working at university hospitals.

Around 64% of medical students in Morocco depend on allowances and scholarships to provide for themselves, while 37% said that their resources barely cover their food costs, the survey indicated.

In addition, 42.2% of students found themselves obliged to live far from their faculties due to high rent prices. More than 65% said that the distance between where they will and the place of training and studies has largely affected their performance.

Carried out between April 9 and 16, 2022, the survey includes 5,314 students from Moroccan public medical schools. The majority of participants in the survey are Moroccan (97%), 91% of whom are enrolled in general medicine, while 4.7% are pharmacy students and 4.2% are dentistry students. 59.4% of participants are females, whereas 40.6% are males.

Medical students in Morocco receive a scholarship of MAD 630 ($ 62) per month starting from their third year in general medicine and dentistry, and 4th year for pharmacy students.

Meanwhile, resident doctors receive MAD 2,000 ($ 199) per month starting from their seventh year for general medicine students, and the sixth year for pharmacy and dentistry majors.

Resident doctors are often required “to do all the work of a general practitioner in public health,” including night shifts, “mostly without any supervision,” added the survey.

The majority of residents complain about not receiving their allowances on time, with delays exceeding 7-8 months in many cases, the survey indicates. “The management of these allowances is experiencing deep and major dysfunctions.”

Students in medicine and dentistry in Morocco do not receive any allowance during their first two years of studies, while pharmacy students do not receive financial help during their first three years.

According to the survey, medical students believe that they should receive, at minimum, MAD 2,706 ($ 270)per month to cover transportation, accommodation, and food costs.

In 2020, Morocco’s ministry of education approved a decree to raise the scholarship granted to resident doctors by MAD 2,000 ($ 199). The survey indicates, however, that the decree has not yet been implemented.

Earlier this year, Morocco’s government announced plans to reduce the duration of medical training in the country from seven to six years.