Moroccan pharmacists say their sector is heading toward financial collapse and are planning a national protest in Rabat later this month.
The Confederation of Pharmacists’ Unions said in a statement that it will organize a demonstration on Thursday, October 23, outside the Ministry of Health.
The group accuses the government of ignoring urgent reforms that were promised years ago and signed in official agreements with previous ministers.
According to the union, thousands of pharmacies across the country are struggling to survive. They blame current management policies and what they describe as a lack of real political will to fix a sector that is vital for public health.
The statement warned that pharmacies are being pushed toward bankruptcy at a time when citizens need reliable access to medicine.
Pharmacists say the crisis is worsened by outdated laws that are still used to prosecute professionals in what they call arbitrary cases.
At the same time, other laws remain on hold, waiting for implementing decrees that have never been issued. The result, they say, is unprecedented legal and organizational chaos in the pharmacy sector.
The confederation also criticized the Health Minister, accusing him of refusing to engage in meaningful dialogue and ignoring proposals put forward by pharmacists’ associations in recent meetings.
Pharmacists say the ministry is pushing through unilateral policies that could accelerate the sector’s collapse.
Since 2019, no elections have been held to renew the sector’s representative bodies, leaving pharmacists without updated institutions to defend their interests.
The union called this an abnormal situation that threatens the stability and credibility of the entire profession.
Pharmacists also referred to royal speeches that underlined the importance of reforming the pharmaceutical system and guaranteeing fair access to quality medicines.
They said that the survival of pharmacies is closely tied to the success of Morocco’s universal health coverage project, a key social reform led by King Mohammed VI.
The union is urging Parliament to press the health minister for clear action. It warned that if the government continues to delay, pharmacists will step up their protests with an open-ended campaign to protect both their businesses and citizens’ right to safe and affordable medicine.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.