Morocco Faces Critical Shortage of Mental Health Professionals, Minister Reports

These figures, considered insufficient, were revealed by Minister Khalid Ait Taleb, questioned in parliament about the number of specialists in this field, reports Al Ahdath Al Maghribia.

More precisely, the Moroccan health system has only 343 psychiatrists and 214 psychologists, 200 of whom work in the private sector. The number of child psychiatrists is only 10 nationwide, while the number of specialized nurses is estimated at 1335, the minister indicates.

At the same time, he deplored, the kingdom is recording a worrying increase in mental illnesses and disorders nationwide. As a result, the cost of care for these diseases is rather high and overall access remains very limited for the population.

In addition, Morocco has only one doctor trained in addiction management, 197 speech therapists and 30 psychomotor therapists, the same source reports.