Reinventing Primary Care: Challenges and Opportunities for Morocco
On July 11, 2025, the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amine Tahraoui, inaugurated eight rehabilitated urban health centers in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region. Representing a new generation of primary care facilities, these centers embody a national ambition: to make primary healthcare the true foundation of universal health coverage (UHC).
At a time when 4.5 billion people worldwide still lack access to essential health services, and medical expenses continue to drive millions of households into poverty, Morocco is reaffirming its commitment to fundamentally reform its healthcare system. With nearly 87% of the population covered by health insurance by the end of 2024, the country is making progress—but a critical question remains: how can equitable access to quality care be ensured for everyone, everywhere?
The Socioeconomic Stakes of Expanding Primary Care for UHC
Primary healthcare is more than just the first point of contact—it is the cornerstone of an efficient, equitable, and resilient health system. Its expansion addresses several structural challenges at the intersection of social, economic, and institutional dimensions.
Reducing Inequalities and Protecting Against Poverty
Primary care, by providing early and local access to services, plays a crucial role in reducing costly hospitalizations and unexpected medical expenses. This financial protection is essential to prevent households from falling into poverty—particularly as catastrophic health spending continues to affect nearly one billion people globally. In Morocco, despite near-universal health insurance coverage, ensuring consistent quality and real accessibility remains a key challenge. Financial protection is also critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
A Driver of Productivity and Economic Stability
A healthy population is a direct contributor to economic growth. Primary care helps reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases, minimizes work absenteeism, and enhances household savings by lowering unforeseen healthcare costs. However, these benefits can only be fully realized if services are continuous, accessible, and tailored to local needs.
Boosting the Health Sector and Local Employment
Strengthening primary care creates direct employment opportunities within the health sector (caregivers, administrative staff, technicians) and indirect jobs across related industries (training, pharmaceuticals, health technologies). In Morocco, significant efforts have been made to increase both healthcare and technical personnel.
Strengthening Social Cohesion and Equity
Accessible and affordable primary care is a powerful equalizer. UHC promotes gender equality by improving women’s access to reproductive and maternal health services, especially when care is available across regions. Tunisia, for instance, reports that 99% of pregnant women attend at least one prenatal visit and give birth in health facilities—clear evidence of strong maternal health service accessibility.
Ensuring Resilience in Times of Crisis
A robust primary care system also enhances preparedness and response to health and natural crises. The Al Haouz region in Morocco recently highlighted the importance of community-based health centers in maintaining care delivery after a major earthquake—demonstrating the vital role of adequate infrastructure and trained professionals.
Shared Perspectives: Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritania
Tunisia: With over 2,000 facilities, Tunisia’s primary healthcare centers have significantly reduced disparities in access between urban and rural areas, men and women, and across socioeconomic groups. However, challenges persist, such as regional inequalities and variations in service quality.
Mauritania: Fewer than 15% of the population has health insurance coverage, and out-of-pocket payments account for over half of all health expenditures. Primary care centers provide nearly half of maternal, child, and infectious disease services, and are beginning to address chronic disease management. Yet with only 2.36 physicians per 10,000 people (compared to the global average of 17), a shortage of qualified health workers and infrastructure remains a major barrier.
Conclusion
By placing primary care at the heart of its universal health coverage strategy, Morocco is aligning itself with a global movement that recognizes the structural role of primary care in transforming health systems. Investments in infrastructure, human resources, and integrated services reflect strong political will to make the right to health a concrete reality.
However, as regional examples show, primary care can only be truly effective if it is continuously supported, adequately financed, and adapted to local realities.
The real question is no longer whether primary care is essential, but how to finally give it the central role it deserves in public policy.