MOROCCO – The Kingdom of Morocco has secured €120 million (nearly US$130 million) in results-based financing from African Development Bank to improve access to healthcare services for the entire population.
These fresh funds directed to the Moroccan health system will be used to improve people’s well-being, particularly women living in rural or isolated areas.
The AfDB’s contribution comes as Morocco has ramped up healthcare spending to build on recent progress in the critical sector over the past 20 years.
The project, titled Programme to support inclusive access to healthcare infrastructure, aims to strengthen access to healthcare services in underserved communities across the country.
The million-dollar project will focus on communities in the regions of Beni Mellal-Khénifra, Draa-Tafilalet, and Guelmin-Oued Noun.
The ‘Programme to support inclusive access to healthcare infrastructure’ project will cover three key areas.
These 3 focus areas include improving access to healthcare infrastructures for primary and secondary care, modernization of healthcare services by deploying innovative solutions that improve connectivity, and lastly, strengthening governance through better allocation of human and financial resources.
To this end, the project will support the establishment of several women’s and children’s care units at the new Guelmim Regional Hospital and the Fkih Ben Salah Provincial Hospital.
These women’s and children’s care units housed with the Moroccan healthcare facilities will be fully operational upon completion of the project.
Part of this new funding will be used to build and fully-furnish two new hospitals in the targeted regions, namely the Beni-Mellal Regional Hospital Center and the Azilal Provincial Hospital Center.
The latest results-based financing will also support the renovation and equipping of the Fkih Ben Salah Provincial Hospital Center, a government hospital located in Fquih Ben Salah.
What’s more, part of this new funding will be reserved for procurement activities that are designed to equip remote sites with telemedicine and teleconsultation facilities.
The Moroccan government will also disburse some of this money to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the Territorial Health Groups (GST) to boost the staffing levels of health workers.
In line with the project framework, Morocco is set to increase the number of graduates produced by higher institutes of nursing and health technology.
These strategic moves will build on the country’s significant accomplishments and achievements in the maternal and child health arena.
Moreover, the AfDB’s contribution is expected to help speed the government’s implementation of its strategic plan known as Santé (Health) 2025, which aims to improve people’s access to quality healthcare.
Morocco’s Health 2025 Plan focuses on extending protection against health risks through the generalization of health insurance and pensions, creating a social assistance system targeted at the most vulnerable families, overhauling the health sector, and reforming the public education system.
By 2025, Morocco plans to invest in organizational initiatives to expand available care and improve access, strengthen national health programmes and campaigns against specific diseases, and improvements in governance and the allocation of resources in the health sector.
Morocco’s Health 2025 Plan is well aligned with AfDB’s strategy to spur sustainable economic development and social progress in its regional member countries.
In similar news, the Ministry of Health in Libya is set to launch the proposed Health Sector Plan for 2023, which is expected to restructure the country’s health system.
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