Assahafa.com
Morocco’s Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amine Tahraoui, said on Wednesday night that the government understands the social demands raised by young people and citizens, especially the call to fix the health sector.
His remarks come as protests continue across the country, with many young people demanding better public services, including health and education, job opportunities, and overall social equality.
Speaking in parliament during a meeting on the state of the health system, Tahraoui admitted that Morocco’s health sector suffers from deep and long-standing problems. He said that the government’s “comprehensive reform plan” is the only way to meet people’s expectations for quality healthcare that respects their dignity in all regions of the country.
The minister said several projects are already underway, including new university hospitals in Tangier, Agadir, Laayoune, and Rabat, which together will add thousands of new beds. He also pointed to ongoing upgrades of more than 1,400 primary health centers across Morocco, and the rehabilitation of 22 hospitals between 2022 and 2025.
Tahraoui acknowledged, however, that there is still a major shortage of doctors and nurses. To address this, he says, the government has opened four new medical schools in Guelmim, Beni Mellal, Drâa-Tafilalet, and Laayoune, with the first classes of doctors expected to graduate between 2026 and 2028. The number of medical training seats has also been more than doubled since 2019.
The minister added that the number of health workers has risen from 45,000 in 2019 to more than 59,000 in 2025, and that the government has raised salaries for doctors, nurses, and administrative staff over the past three years.
While these reforms aim to improve the health system, many protesters say progress has been too slow and that promises do not always translate into real change on the ground. For the young people demonstrating in the streets, healthcare is just one part of broader frustrations with inequality, unemployment, and lack of trust in institutions.
The ongoing protests were sparked by health-related demonstrations in Agadir in mid-September after the death of at least eight young women following cesarean surgeries at Hassan II hospital.
Protests spread to other hospitals across Morocco to expose long-standing frustrations with the healthcare system. Later on, youth-led movements such as GenZ212 and Moroccan Youth Voice took the lead and broadened the protests into a wider call for reforms in healthcare, education, and social equality.
The first three days of the protest (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) started off peacefully, but the demonstrations then took a violent turn starting Tuesday, with several incidents of vandalism and looting.
Authorities said gendarmerie forces used live fire in self-defense to repel an attack and an attempted raid on their post in Lqliaa on Wednesday night. The incident killed two people and injured several others.
Source: Morocco word news
