Presented on October 19 to a joint session of both houses of Parliament, the government program led by Fatima-Ezzahra El Mansouri also calls for territorial health groups to be rolled out nationwide in 2027 and for 90 provincial and regional hospitals to be upgraded.
The reform responds to a growing gap between demand for medical care and the capacity of the public healthcare system. More than 90% of the financial resources generated through Morocco’s mandatory health insurance scheme, known as AMO, currently go to the private sector, leaving public hospitals with only a marginal share.
The government wants to change that balance, raising the share of AMO spending received by public healthcare facilities from 10% to 50% by 2031.
The program argues that expanding health insurance coverage is not enough if patients cannot access available, continuous and quality care. Long waiting times and a shortage of services have pushed insured patients toward private providers, while attendance at public hospitals has fallen by 50% in several specialties, including emergency care, hemodialysis and obstetrics.
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The government’s response rests on four priorities: overhauling public hospitals, modernizing healthcare governance, accelerating digital transformation and improving conditions for health professionals.
A new governance model from 2027
Under Framework Law No. 06.22, the reform aims to separate the roles of regulation, planning and healthcare delivery. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection will focus on strategic oversight, regulation and drawing up the National Health Map.
A central component is the nationwide rollout of Territorial Health Groups (GSTs) in 2027. Each group will bring healthcare facilities across its region into a single network, linking primary care centers to university hospitals.
Regulatory responsibilities will also be distributed among specialized bodies. The High Authority for Health will oversee technical standards and the quality of care. The Moroccan Agency for Medicines and Health Products aims to reach the World Health Organization’s Level 3 maturity rating and will rely on the Tarkhiss one-stop platform. The Moroccan Agency for Blood and Its Derivatives will regulate the blood sector.
The state will sign multi-year performance contracts with the territorial health groups and relevant agencies. Funding will be tied to targets for performance and quality.
To ease pressure on hospitals, general practitioners will become the main entry point into the healthcare system. The family doctor model, drawing on international practices, will be introduced gradually.
Each insured person will be assigned to a general practitioner or primary care team responsible for preventive follow-up, chronic disease management and referrals to specialists. Shared medical records and the National Health Identifier will support this system, with the government aiming to make family doctors the coordinators of patients’ care by 2031.
The program also continues the planned upgrading of 1,600 primary healthcare facilities.
Four new university hospitals and 90 hospitals to be upgraded
The government plans to build four new university hospitals in Béni Mellal, Guelmim, Errachidia and Casablanca. It will also progressively upgrade 90 provincial and regional hospitals and complete the modernization of the 1,600 primary healthcare centers.
Infrastructure, medical equipment, staffing and maintenance will be planned together from the start of each project to reduce disparities in access to care between regions.
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The program also calls for an immediate preventive maintenance system for biomedical equipment to reduce recurring breakdowns. Each territorial health group will be responsible for integrated regional management of its medicine stocks.
Digital services and faster access to care
Digitalization is another pillar of the reform. Draft Law No. 52.26 is intended to establish the institutional framework for an integrated national health information system.
The system is expected to support the expansion of third-party payment in public hospitals, allowing treatment costs to be covered directly without patients having to pay upfront. Telemedicine services, including remote consultations, medical imaging and specialist assessments, are also planned, with priority given to remote and underserved areas.
The government has set a 12-month deadline for measures to improve hospital reception, patient orientation and emergency care.
Hospital reception and guidance services will operate in both Arabic and Amazigh. The program also provides for an online appointment platform and a digital system showing the number of available hospital beds in each region in real time.
Regional emergency medical services will gradually be expanded and made accessible through the single national number 141. The system will rely on geolocated mobile emergency and resuscitation teams, alongside unified national protocols for life-threatening conditions such as strokes, heart attacks and severe trauma.
Mental health coverage and better working conditions
Under the National Strategic Mental Health Plan through 2030, psychiatric and psychological care will be decentralized, with services integrated into general hospitals and local healthcare facilities.
The government also plans to progressively add mental and psychological disorders to the list of long-term conditions covered in full by AMO. Priorities include the mental health of children and adolescents, addiction treatment and suicide prevention.
The reform also targets healthcare workforce management under the public health service framework. The proposed pay system will combine a fixed component with a variable one based on activity, productivity and quality of care, alongside allowances for on-call duties and occupational risks.
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Public-private dual practice will be strictly regulated to protect continuity of public services.
To address staff shortages, the government plans to implement Law No. 33.21, which allows foreign doctors and Moroccan doctors living abroad to practice in the country through a digital one-stop service. Incentives will target hard-to-fill specialties and areas with too few doctors.
Revising hospital funding
The final component of the reform concerns the financial model for territorial health groups. The government plans to revise the National Reference Tariff to better reflect the actual cost of medical procedures.
It also intends to improve the collection of outstanding payments owed to hospitals by AMO managing bodies and enforce therapeutic protocols more strictly.
According to the government program, these measures should help public hospitals generate the resources needed to modernize their services and improve the quality of care.
