Morocco’s healthcare staffing in crisis with less than 14 nurses, midwives per ten thousand people

Morocco came in 45th out of 193 countries in dire need of nurses and midwives, says a new survey published on Thursday by the CEOWORLD Magazine.The Kingdom, according to the same source, has a ratio of 13.91 nurses and midwives per 10 thousand people.

This positions Morocco as the first North African country to have the lowest number of healthcare providers. Following closely was Algeria, ranked 54th globally with a ratio of 15.59. Egypt trailed behind with a ratio of 18.27, and Tunisia secures the 77th spot globally with a ratio of 24.33.

The top nine positions in the ranking were occupied exclusively by African countries with less than three nurses and midwives per 10,000 individuals.

These countries include Somalia with a ratio of 1.13, Cameroon with 1.93, Chad with 1.98, Sierra Leone with 2.04, Niger with 2.02, Central African Republic with 2.35, Equatorial Guinea with 2.7, Benin with 2.91, and Madagascar with 2.92.

Within the Arab region, South Sudan led the pack, ranking 11th globally with a ratio of 3.58 nurses and midwives per the same amount of people. Yamen followed at the 27th spot with a ratio of 7.13. Mauritania came in third for the region, but 34th globally with a 9.54 ratio. Sudan fell behind Mauritania at an 11.4 ratio.

The same source acknwoeldged the crucial role of these healthcare professionals in the sector, particularly in rural areas where they often provide primary medical support. They play a crucial role in combating diseases like measles, tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

As of the end of 2022, Morocco had 37,376 nurses and midwives, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Health in 2023.

This shortage of healthcare professionals has prompted the Ministry of Health to develop a strategy to reach a ratio of 2.5 nurses and midwives per 10,000 population by 2025, and to increase the number of nurses, midwives, and health technicians to 65,000 by 2030.