Assahafa.com
Morocco, under the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has placed Universal Health Coverage (UHC) at the heart of its social project, Morocco’s Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amine Tehraoui, said on Saturday in Tokyo.
Speaking at a roundtable during the 2025 UHC High-Level Forum, Tehraoui highlighted the progress achieved by the Kingdom in expanding social protection, overhauling the national health system and strengthening the foundations of sustainable and equitable UHC by 2030.
He noted that mandatory health insurance currently covers about 88% of the population, incorporating more than 22 million new beneficiaries, including self-employed workers and vulnerable populations.
The minister stressed that the Royal project on social protection goes beyond recognizing new rights, as it involves reinforcing a more robust and deeply restructured health system.
In line with the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, expanding social coverage must necessarily be accompanied by a profound transformation in the organization and delivery of care, he said.
In this context, Tehraoui noted that Morocco has undertaken an ambitious overhaul of the national health system, built around four strategic pillars.
The first pillar concerns strengthening governance, reflected in the creation of new institutions and a clarification of responsibilities at both national and territorial levels, to bring public decision-making closer to the real needs of citizens, he explained.
The second pillar, he maintained, focuses on upgrading the health-care offer, notably through the modernization of university and regional hospitals, the rehabilitation of primary health centers and improved territorial equity in access to essential services.
He also emphasized the key role of human resources, the third pillar of this reform, underscoring the importance of expanding training capacity, revising curricula to align them with current population needs, and improving working conditions to retain and motivate health professionals.
The fourth pillar is based on digital transformation, through the deployment of an integrated information system and a Shared Patient File, essential tools to ensure continuous citizen follow-up and support better planning and more effective decision-making.
These structural reforms create an environment conducive to the development of new partnerships, the minister noted.
On the issue of financing, Tehraoui recalled that national spending dedicated to the sector has increased steadily in recent years, contributing to improved health indicators and reducing the direct financial burden borne by households.
He pointed out that the budget of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection has more than quadrupled between 2010 and 2026, reaching MAD 42.4 billion and 8.8% of the state’s general budget, reflecting “the government’s firm commitment to supporting the reforms underway.”
Tehraoui, however, stressed that the challenge also lies in improving the quality of spending and preserving the system’s financial sustainability, highlighting three major priorities for the Kingdom in this regard.
These include safeguarding the financial integrity of mandatory health insurance schemes, maintaining strong state support for vulnerable populations, and rationalizing medical costs notably through strengthened prevention, the promotion of primary care and the proximity of frontline services.
On international cooperation, Tehraoui reaffirmed that Morocco remains fully committed to playing its role as a driving force for UHC in Africa, particularly through South-South cooperation.
The Kingdom shares its experience in health financing, social protection and human resources development to support countries on the continent in building health systems that are more robust, more equitable and more resilient, he said.
Source: map
