[Health care services in the Kingdom of Morocco]

Kingdom of Morocco is located in Northwestern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Its surface area is 710,850 km2. In 2001 the estimated population of Morocco was 29,800,000 people who are not equally distributed over the territory. Population growth rate is changing with a tendency toward levels similar to those in developed countries. The health care system created in 1959 has undergone several reorganizations including the most recent reform now in progress. At the present time the health care system is organized into approximately 60 medical districts. It is subdivided into two networks, i.e., an ambulatory action network and a hospital action network. The ambulatory action network provides basic health care services. It includes 2128 basic care units. Most of these units have medical equipment designed mainly for preventive medicine. The hospital action network comprises 112 hospitals classified as zone hospitals, provincial hospitals, regional hospitals, and university hospitals. Both networks receive technical and scientific support from a network of institutes, laboratories, and specialized centers. Training for health care professionals in Morocco is provided by four medical schools and two health care institutes for paramedical care specialists. Morocco is in a period of epidemiological transition characterized by the coexistence of patients with developed and developing country diseases.