Morocco Cuts Medical Training by One Year, Expands University Seats

Henceforth, the duration of training in general medicine, pharmacy and dental medicine is reduced from 7 years to 6 years. This is the substance of the note that the Minister of Higher Education addressed on Thursday, June 30, 2022, to the presidents of universities and the directors of the regional academies of education and training. Abdellatif Miraoui also specified that 3,489 university seats in medicine, 435 in pharmacy and 355 in dentistry are planned for the 2022-2023 academic year.

"This measure is part of the implementation of a royal project, that of the generalization of social coverage, and in particular the axis relating to the upgrading of the health system and the improvement of care services for all the categories of the population who are (or will be) concerned by the current deployment of the Mandatory Health Insurance (AMO)," the minister’s note states.

The reduction in the duration of medical training had meanwhile sparked lively controversy on social networks. According to some Internet users, this decision alone will not be enough to make up for the lack of medical personnel and that parallel support measures must be taken.