ALMAGHRIBIA — broadcast
20260920 223000 UTC
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[00:00:15] the pharmaceutical policy in
[00:00:24] 22, which obliges
[00:00:28] Good evening, viewers, and welcome to the main news bulletin from Al-Oula.
[00:00:31] You are watching
[00:00:35] the upcoming legislative elections, a democratic milestone where citizens' political
[00:00:39] institutions closer to the participation is renewed. This is a practice that guides the Kingdom towards solidifying the democratic option
[00:00:42] amidst increasing political and societal dynamism and widespread
[00:00:46] anticipation of what the ballot boxes
[00:00:51] due to the shortage of will reveal.
[00:00:52] from treatment without Morocco returns to working with Greenwich Mean Time by setting clocks back
[00:00:56] sixty minutes, requiring a reorganization of individuals' daily rhythm.
[00:01:04] the burden on the
[00:01:53] King Mohammed VI sent a congratulatory telegram to His Excellency Mr.
[00:01:57] Ram Chandra Poudel, President of Nepal, on the occasion of
[00:02:00] his country's National Day.
[00:02:13] A new legislative election is approaching,
[00:02:16] to all health institutions, both in for which Morocco is preparing amidst increasing political and social dynamism and widespread anticipation
[00:02:21] the participation of the private sector in this of what the ballot boxes will reveal. the private and public sectors. But this This is a democratic milestone that renews
[00:02:24] detection of diseases. On the pharmaceutical citizens' political participation and reinforces the Kingdom's
[00:02:28] direction towards consolidating the democratic option, strengthening elected institutions,
[00:02:31] and linking public affairs management to voters' will
[00:02:35] The expectations of citizens in the and expectations. This is a date where eyes are turned to programs
[00:02:38] and challenges, and to what the ballot boxes will produce in terms of
[00:02:41] choices that reflect citizens' aspirations
[00:02:43] and expectations.
[00:02:49] on participation, our insistence on Only three days separate us from the polling
[00:02:50] a participatory policy, officials date for the 2026 legislative elections, while parties intensify their electoral
[00:02:56] To discuss this topic, we are joined live from campaigns with field meetings and direct communication with citizens from Casablanca.
[00:02:59] We follow how the electoral scene is shaping up less than
[00:03:02] three days before the vote in
[00:03:10] regions and provinces of the Kingdom, the countdown has begun,
[00:03:13] and the electoral campaign is intensifying its presence in neighborhoods, markets,
[00:03:17] and public spaces with the aim of reaching
[00:03:20] by the parties to citizens voters at the last station before polling
[00:03:23] day. As for the legislative elections, we see
[00:03:26] that there are many campaigns.
[00:03:30] The parties. What is there is
[00:03:33] that we will try to vote for the candidate who will be able to
[00:03:37] convince the residents. So we hope, we hope,
[00:03:40] we hope the elections, God willing, will go on, on, on
[00:03:44] the best, on the best way,
[00:03:47] and whoever gains the trust, God willing, of the citizens, and who will be able to
[00:03:50] represent the residents in the best representation and speak about their rights and speak about
[00:03:54] the expectations of, of all
[00:03:58] residents. Behind the posters,
[00:04:00] for the implementation of this there are questions about daily life. In this city
[00:04:03] of millions, the expectations of the residents intersect
[00:04:06] regarding work, services,
[00:04:09] policy at the territorial and the future of neighborhoods, and so on. We see that this electoral campaign is going on its way,
[00:04:13] and we see people are,
[00:04:16] as for the campaign that these parties conducted,
[00:04:19] it seems to me that it is going, meaning it is going
[00:04:22] as we wish from God for the good of this nation,
[00:04:26] and we hope, God willing, that these people give us
[00:04:30] the promises they talk about, that they give them to us to be, meaning, in reality.
[00:04:33] This is what we hope. We hope there will be improvements, developments,
[00:04:37] budgets that have been allocated and reforms. This is what a person wants, to elect
[00:04:40] the party that we want, God willing, to be good. In recent days,
[00:04:44] the digital space is also strongly present in the campaign,
[00:04:47] alongside direct meetings,
[00:04:49] but the decision will be made on the 23rd
[00:04:53] of this September.
[00:04:58] sums of money that went into this With the approach of the legislative elections, the health sector features strongly in electoral programs,
[00:05:02] through promises to strengthen public hospitals, support human resources,
[00:05:05] expand health coverage, and reduce treatment costs,
[00:05:09] as well as accelerate digitalization and bring health services closer to citizens.
[00:05:19] is an issue that knocks on the doors of electoral programs from the gateway
[00:05:22] of daily questions that concern every citizen.
[00:05:26] How do we get treatment, will we find it? In the upcoming
[00:05:29] legislative elections, electoral programs
[00:05:32] intersect on health system reform. The proposed solutions
[00:05:36] vary between expanding health coverage
[00:05:39] and reducing treatment costs, between strengthening public
[00:05:42] hospitals and enhancing human resources, digitalization,
[00:05:45] and achieving spatial justice. Proposals
[00:05:49] tend to reduce direct expenses borne by families,
[00:05:52] facilitate access to treatment, and develop primary
[00:05:55] healthcare. The gradual expansion
[00:05:58] of the third-party payment system is among the proposed mechanisms.
[00:06:02] According to this, the insured will benefit
[00:06:05] prior payment, while other programs propose reducing the direct
[00:06:08] co-payment percentage, or full coverage
[00:06:12] for some chronic and costly diseases.
[00:06:15] Electoral programs also propose increasing
[00:06:19] hospital capacity, improving equipment, and expanding
[00:06:22] the network of health institutions. Declared visions include
[00:06:25] establishing new regional university hospitals
[00:06:28] and rehabilitating existing health centers and hospitals,
[00:06:31] in addition to increasing the number of hospital beds
[00:06:35] and strengthening services. The proposals also
[00:06:38] focus on enhancing human resources
[00:06:42] by increasing the numbers of doctors, nurses, and health professionals,
[00:06:46] and improving their distribution among
[00:06:49] rural and mountainous areas,
[00:06:52] alongside improving working conditions and career paths
[00:06:58] in health provision and benefit from Moroccan competencies.
[00:07:01] To enhance primary healthcare, proposals call
[00:07:04] for adopting family doctors and developing mobile medical
[00:07:08] units and telemedicine.
[00:07:12] Regarding mental health, women's and children's health,
[00:07:15] elderly care, and addiction treatment, electoral
[00:07:18] programs advocate for establishing national or regional mental health
[00:07:22] networks and integrating psychological counseling into
[00:07:25] health coverage. They recommend monitoring maternal
[00:07:29] and child health during the first thousand days and taking
[00:07:32] measures concerning nutrition and early
[00:07:36] side, programs present proposals
[00:07:40] related to reducing drug prices, regulating the drug
[00:07:43] market, and strengthening local manufacturing and pharmaceutical sovereignty.
[00:07:47] To keep pace with the era of digitalization, electoral programs
[00:07:50] recommend adopting electronic medical records, smart
[00:07:53] health cards, and digitalizing appointments,
[00:07:57] prescriptions, and medical reports to facilitate the patient's
[00:08:00] journey and connect the various links of the health
[00:08:03] system.
[00:08:08] Casablanca by Dr. Ahmed Ben Boujida, President of the National Union
[00:08:11] of Private Sector Doctors. Doctor, to what extent
[00:08:15] are we in urgent need today to develop a health
[00:08:18] system that meets expectations in terms of providing
[00:08:21] appropriate treatment and bringing health services closer to
[00:08:24] Moroccans?
[00:08:30] Indeed, madam, from the Royal Speech of His Majesty King Mohammed
[00:08:34] VI, may God protect him, the historic speech
[00:08:37] of 1900 2021, through which
[00:08:40] the law concerning social
[00:08:44] protection and the framework law that framed the health
[00:08:48] system 06 22 were outlined, and which provided
[00:08:51] the broad outlines of the unprecedented royal project of health
[00:08:54] coverage and also the care for the health
[00:08:58] system and its
[00:09:01] rehabilitation for the benefit of citizens from health services.
[00:09:04] The goal of this system, as
[00:09:07] carried out by the previous government, is a group of legal
[00:09:10] provisions and implementing decrees, all of which have been issued. All of them have been set, and the problem
[00:09:14] was identified through social disparities and health
[00:09:17] coverage disparities. Regarding the demographic aspect, there are
[00:09:21] many areas that lack qualified infrastructure
[00:09:24] to receive citizens. Now, all
[00:09:28] legal provisions are in place, but unfortunately, what we,
[00:09:31] as professionals and citizens, observe is the rational
[00:09:35] implementation of this health system. The citizen now
[00:09:38] does not appreciate its advantages
[00:09:43] in reality. You know
[00:09:46] that despite the huge
[00:09:49] to the health sector for building hospitals and health
[00:09:53] centers, meaning local ones, more than 1400 health
[00:09:57] centers and 42 billion dirhams, at a time when the budget
[00:10:01] of the Ministry of Health did not exceed 13
[00:10:04] billion dirhams at one point, and then 18 billion dirhams, and then 23 billion
[00:10:08] dirhams. This means huge
[00:10:10] sector, in addition to health coverage and the coverage
[00:10:14] of health insurance, almost of the National Social Security Fund
[00:10:18] and the reserve fund of CNOPS, which is almost
[00:10:22] a huge budget. Despite this, the citizen now
[00:10:25] pays from their pocket almost 54% of
[00:10:29] the treatment costs that go to this sector, which they pay from their
[00:10:32] pocket. Therefore, with the high prices and high cost of living,
[00:10:36] the patient, or the Moroccan citizen, finds
[00:10:39] it difficult to resort to health centers
[00:10:42] and hospitals, and also to the private sector. The private
[00:10:46] sector, through law 06
[00:10:49] the government to establish a partnership between the private
[00:10:53] and public sectors. The private sector almost covers
[00:10:56] 74% of health services at the national
[00:10:59] level. Here we find a disparity regarding the
[00:11:03] democratization of this sector
[00:11:06] and its integration. This is not competition, but rather integration between the private
[00:11:10] and public sectors. At a time when we see that the reference
[00:11:14] tariff, for example, which is set at a
[00:11:17] price that is not worth it, meaning it has remained for more than
[00:11:20] 20 years, and now what does the citizen seek? They seek to have
[00:11:24] something that will alleviate
[00:11:29] funds so that the treatment process
[00:11:33] is respected, and thus the patient avoids
[00:11:37] going from doctor to doctor or doing some tests or
[00:11:40] some hospitalizations that are unnecessary
[00:11:44] and thus costly. Yes,
[00:11:47] in the same context, how can the achievements that
[00:11:51] Morocco has accumulated in the field of health coverage be invested
[00:11:54] towards a comprehensive health system that takes into
[00:11:58] account spatial justice and scientific research,
[00:12:01] Doctor?
[00:12:06] As I explained to you earlier, these huge investments made by the state
[00:12:10] and also the health coverage project must have
[00:12:14] rational management. Firstly, within
[00:12:17] hospitals and within the sector as a whole, this governance and good
[00:12:20] management of the sector's hospitals is what will lead to a level like
[00:12:27] that which can develop digitalization, as mentioned in your report.
[00:12:30] There should be digitalization of, of, of
[00:12:33] all stakeholders, all patients, and there should be a medical file, a medical
[00:12:37] file that will be available
[00:12:43] requires study and
[00:12:46] project. The problem is that there is no, what we observe
[00:12:50] is no, there is an absence of a participatory
[00:12:53] policy with professionals. Therefore, the project cannot
[00:12:57] succeed unless both sectors, the public and private sectors, are integrated.
[00:13:00] Therefore, we, as the private sector, which has almost 17,000
[00:13:04] doctors across the Kingdom, feel that we are not concerned
[00:13:08] with this system, and we see that despite our insistence
[00:13:15] must involve the private sector for
[00:13:19] the success of this health system. Let's not forget that there
[00:13:22] is now, regarding human resources, an emigration
[00:13:25] of health professionals and doctors abroad,
[00:13:29] 700 doctors and structured health professionals
[00:13:32] abroad, at a time when we know that there is a huge
[00:13:35] shortage at the national level of medical staff, almost
[00:13:39] 32 doctors who need to be in the national territory,
[00:13:43] and a large group as well
[00:13:47] of health professionals. Now, if there is no
[00:13:51] participatory policy, a firmness for political parties
[00:13:54] now whose programs and they present programs that are almost all
[00:13:58] similar, and there is no commitment and dedication to the
[00:14:02] royal project because it is integrated,
[00:14:05] unprecedented, and therefore its implementation
[00:14:09] will be the responsibility of, God willing, the political parties
[00:14:12] to ensure that the implementation is correct and to allow the citizen to
[00:14:16] have access to health services regionally
[00:14:20] and locally. Now what is called
[00:14:24] regional territorial
[00:14:26] groups have been created. They
[00:14:29] will implement the national policy regarding health
[00:14:34] level, at the regional level. And these regional
[00:14:38] territorial groups will have a fundamental
[00:14:41] role regarding, firstly, the management of human
[00:14:44] resources, the governance in managing the health sectors of public hospitals, which we know have
[00:14:48] major problems. When a citizen wants an
[00:14:51] appointment to be able to get their appointment to
[00:14:55] have a medical consultation or for this, they need almost months to
[00:14:59] be able to reach to go, for example, to be hospitalized
[00:15:03] and treated. Therefore, if there is no involvement of civil
[00:15:07] society, of health professionals, of the government, of the
[00:15:10] councils, the health system cannot succeed
[00:15:14] unless efforts are
[00:15:23] reform of the healthcare system file tops the programs
[00:15:26] of competing parties in the legislative elections scheduled for September
[00:15:30] 23, at a time when citizens' aspirations are directed towards
[00:15:33] improving health services and enhancing access to medical facilities.
[00:15:37] Bringing healthcare closer to different social groups in a way that meets
[00:15:51] for every citizen and expanding its umbrella to include all
[00:15:55] essential services are challenges that are renewed
[00:15:58] with the approach of the upcoming legislative
[00:16:00] elections. Making treatment costs suitable for families'
[00:16:04] financial capabilities is a primary priority in the political
[00:16:08] appointment. The success of this coverage is linked
[00:16:12] to achieving comprehensive spatial justice by bringing health
[00:16:17] local population and ensuring equitable distribution
[00:16:21] across the Kingdom. Among the problems of the medical sector
[00:16:24] in Morocco is the difficulty of accessing treatment pathways
[00:16:29] human and material resources, especially for vulnerable
[00:16:32] groups and residents of remote areas. There is also
[00:16:36] the high cost of treatment and hospitalization
[00:16:39] for several reasons, including the fact that health coverage does not include
[00:16:43] a wide segment of citizens, and the high rate of participation
[00:16:46] in treatment costs even with health coverage, where a citizen who is not insured
[00:16:49] pays 50% of the treatment costs. Well-equipped health
[00:16:53] facilities and a smoother treatment pathway are aspirations
[00:16:57] that directly connect with what citizens want with the approaching
[00:17:00] elections. In addition to rehabilitating infrastructure
[00:17:04] and strengthening human resources, the importance of
[00:17:07] organizing appointments, simplifying administrative procedures, and accelerating
[00:17:11] the handling of hospitalization cases stands out to ensure
[00:17:15] healthcare that preserves the patient's
[00:17:18] dignity. In light of the upcoming elections that Morocco will witness,
[00:17:22] as a Moroccan citizen, health sector, I see today
[00:17:25] that any electoral program must take into
[00:17:29] account the demands of the
[00:17:32] population, which are easy access to public facilities.
[00:17:35] Today, the treatment pathway should be a clear treatment pathway, reducing
[00:17:39] appointments that have problems, and also
[00:17:42] generalizing health coverage and social protection
[00:17:46] for citizens so that they can benefit from treatments. The officials
[00:17:50] managing this health matter must put their
[00:17:53] matters in order and conduct a deep diagnosis regarding the Moroccan
[00:17:57] health system. Another issue is the matter of health services.
[00:18:01] It is also necessary to consider
[00:18:04] this aspect by ensuring the availability of a good
[00:18:12] health sector remain the compass that determines the effectiveness of the
[00:18:16] next political stage. These are challenges that place political
[00:18:20] actors before the responsibility of transforming these aspirations
[00:18:23] into a reality that citizens experience in their daily lives within
[00:18:27] health institutions.
[00:18:30] Returning to us from Casablanca, Dr. Ahmed Ben Boujida, President of the
[00:18:34] National Union of Private Sector Doctors. Doctor, only a few
[00:18:38] days separate us from the legislative elections for the House of Representatives. How
[00:18:41] do you read the electoral programs of the political parties
[00:18:44] related to the health sector, and what is the extent of the applicability of these
[00:18:48] programs?
[00:18:54] In reality, the programs presented
[00:18:57] are mostly similar. However, if we consider all
[00:19:00] political parties and their references,
[00:19:03] then no party can implement its
[00:19:07] political program regarding the health
[00:19:11] system because the government that will be formed will be based on a
[00:19:15] coalition, meaning there will be a coalition between the parties, and they will
[00:19:18] implement that program. The health program and the health system
[00:19:22] is the political program that His Majesty, may God protect him, presented.
[00:19:25] There is no project, meaning this project is unprecedented,
[00:19:29] it is integrated. If you take the framework law 06 22 related
[00:19:33] to the health system, it is integrated and provides the broad outlines
[00:19:37] project. Now, political parties and the projects they present
[00:19:41] to citizens must present projects that are implementable. Political
[00:19:45] parties should not keep saying we will do this, and we will do this, and we will do this.
[00:19:48] It has been five years now, and perhaps
[00:19:51] 2021, and we are going to put this health
[00:19:54] system on its right track. What concerns us, what
[00:19:58] concerns the citizen, is firstly, it must
[00:20:01] facilitate for the citizen through these huge investments, as
[00:20:05] I told you, made by the state, building, meaning,
[00:20:08] and local health centers and university and medical colleges,
[00:20:11] and so on, and through comprehensive health coverage between
[00:20:15] management by the National Social Security Fund. Political parties have one
[00:20:19] role, which is that in the upcoming government coalition, God willing,
[00:20:22] they should try to implement a participatory policy and reach out to professionals
[00:20:26] and also civil society and this health
[00:20:29] system through the framework law and do things that are
[00:20:33] implementable. I am confident that the electronic medical record
[00:20:37] and, for example, the electronic prescription are coming. And I will tell
[00:20:40] you something, the electronic prescription. There is a
[00:20:43] system in Canada because it will reduce
[00:20:46] the practices of illegal medical practice.
[00:20:50] And thus, even the pharmaceutical policy, through that
[00:20:53] barcode, for example, when that prescription is given,
[00:20:57] a prescription will be given that will be controlled and have
[00:21:01] its goal to improve
[00:21:05] the country and also improve health services at the national level.