Moroccan health minister vows to speed up sector reforms amid youth protests

Morocco’s health minister pledged Friday to accelerate reforms in the country’s strained health care system, acknowledging mounting public frustration and ongoing youth-led protests over poor services.

In a statement to Hespress, Health and Social Protection Minister Amine Tahraoui said he is “personally working to speed up the pace of reform so that results become clearer to citizens.” He admitted that the sector suffers from “serious accumulated problems,” which have fueled daily demonstrations since Sept. 27 under what has become known as “Generation Z protests.”

“Reform has already started, but it needs time,” Tahraoui said. “The government launched a comprehensive plan from the beginning, and today we are accelerating its pace so that citizens can feel the improvements more clearly.”

The comments came less than two days after Tahraoui presented a detailed report on the health sector before Parliament’s Social Sectors Committee, a session he noted was broadcast live “to ensure transparency and allow all citizens to follow the discussions.”

According to the minister, Morocco has opened 22 new hospitals in recent years and plans to inaugurate 24 more in the coming months. He added that 1,000 of the country’s 1,400 health centers have been upgraded, with the remainder expected to be completed by year’s end.

The system also added 1,200 specialist doctors this year across public hospitals, Tahraoui said, while large-scale projects are underway, including university hospitals in Agadir, Laayoune and Beni Mellal.

“These achievements are not the final stop. Reform is a major project that moves step by step,” he said, adding that the ministry is working with civil society, professional groups and youth to strengthen governance and management in the sector.

“We bear the responsibility to contribute to improving the system so it meets the aspirations of all Moroccans,” Tahraoui said.