Including Refugees in Health Care: Morocco's Initiative Receives Broad Support in Geneva

14 December 2023 Printable Version

Geneva - Morocco's initiative on including refugees in the healthcare system received broad support from countries and international organizations attending the 2nd Global Refugee Forum, which is taking place in Geneva on December 13–15.

Some 140 governmental and non-governmental entities, including 27 members of the United Nations, endorsed the Moroccan initiative, spearheaded jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.

In this respect, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Morocco for its leadership on the issue of including refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers in national health and social protection systems.

As a follow-up to the National Immigration and Asylum Policy, initiated in December 2014 under the High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection signed a Framework Partnership Agreement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The agreement aims to facilitate refugees' access to national health and social protection systems, which are undergoing profound reform.

Through this agreement, Morocco undertakes to set up joint actions aimed at reinforcing access to basic health services for refugees and asylum seekers. The agreement also aims to facilitate their access to second and third level health services for specialized care, ease their admission to University Hospitals, and continue to include them in national campaigns, such as the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

National legislation on social security, compulsory health insurance, and compensation for work-related accidents does not limit social security coverage to Moroccan nationals. Foreign employees, including refugees, working in Morocco enjoy the same rights and obligations without discrimination.

Similarly, the ongoing reform of the national social protection system provides for the extension of social rights relating to compulsory health insurance and pensions to non-salaried workers, with equal treatment for Moroccan and foreign nationals.

The Global Refugee Forum 2023 kicked off on Wednesday with the participation of a Moroccan delegation representing several relevant sectors, to mobilize the international community to raise funds to address the growing problems of refugees worldwide.