Israel’s I.M.S Ovadia Group Ltd to invest $500 million in Moroccan health sector – The North Africa Post

Morocco’s health ministry and Israel’s IMS Ovadia Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build 5 hospitals in the country for a total cost of 5 billion dirhams ($500 mln).

The deal is part of Morocco’s efforts to improve health services and bridge the gap in bed capacity between regions.

The five new hospitals are to be built in Fes (Meknes), Draa Tafilalet; Oriental; Marakech Safi; and in the Moroccan Sahara Region of Dakhla.

King Mohammed VI urged government to increase social welfare protection to all Moroccans within five-years, claiming that it will help integrate informal production units.

Morocco has opened up health insurance to professionals that were not covered by it before.

In an effort to encourage human resources in the medical sector, it also adopted a law that equalizes the playing field between foreign and national doctors in the private sector.

The law is part of the implementation of the King’s initiative to revamp the health sector which suffers from a shortage of staff.

The same law encourages foreign investment in the healthcare sector and promotes its equipment with the latest technology.

Moroccan policymakers are concerned about reforming the health sector. The latest report on the human development targets for Morocco aims to meet WHO standards in terms staff and health services by 2035.