Moroccan Health Sector Resists Foreign Doctor Recruitment Plan

Is it necessary to call on foreign expertise to make up for the shortage of human resources in the health sector? No! Respond the professionals in the sector who believe that the solution to the deficit problem is not in this "risky" recruitment proposed by the government council.

"The opening of the door to foreign doctors constitutes a real threat to the health of citizens," declares the National Order of Physicians, who add that the Moroccan authorities would do better to "train more doctors and health executives in order to meet the growing needs for quality health services".

They also ask the supervisory authority "to focus on reforming the conditions of practice of the profession in the public and private sectors in order to stop the brain drain", recalling that "more than 600 doctors leave the country to work abroad".

For his part, Khaled Ait Taleb, Minister of Health, points out that beyond the glaring shortage of health personnel, the amendment of the law will solve the problem of glaring imbalances in their distribution between the different regions of the Kingdom.

According to the supervisory authority, the draft law is framed by conditions for the practice of the medical profession by foreign doctors in Morocco, in particular the existence of a reciprocity agreement, marriage to a Moroccan national for a period of at least 5 years, or continuous residence in Morocco for a period of at least 5 years.

For now, the debate is stormy within the commission of the social sectors of the House of Representatives, which has sent the two parties back to back. An opposition MP revealed that a lobby is being set up on the side of health professionals to thwart this law.