Speaking at the opening session of the 9th International Parliamentary Forum on Social Justice, held under the High Patronage of His Majesty the King, Akhannouch stressed that, in line with this enlightened Royal Vision, the government has placed the issue of social justice at the top of its priorities, making it “a genuine government commitment that reflects the concern to achieve equity and equality between all members of society.”
In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with Parliament, Government Spokesman, Mustapha Baitas, Akhannouch reviewed the efforts made to implement this pioneering Royal project, notably with regard to the generalization of health coverage and the implementation of the direct social assistance system as priorities.
Regarding the generalization of health coverage, Akhannouch stated that the government has succeeded in setting up an integrated social protection system, and in reviewing the various imbalances and shortcomings that limited its targeting efficiency, stressing that it also managed to enable people who could not pay the contributions to benefit from health coverage, through the "AMO Tadamon" system, which allowed some 11.1 million people, including dependents, to benefit from it, as of December 1, 2022.
Thus, this category can henceforth benefit from the same health offer as the mandatory health insurance (AMO) in the public and private sectors, with free care and hospitalization in public health establishments, the Head of Government added, noting that up to January this year, more than 527,000 medical care files had been processed, for a financial envelope of around MAD 589 million, "which reflects the government's commitment to ensuring equitable access to care for all beneficiaries."
Akhannouch added that, to enable citizens to benefit from medicines, some 43,000 certificates of coverage of drug-related expenses were issued, for a total amount of MAD 618 million, and that for reimbursements of expenses, 523,000 files were processed, for an envelope exceeding MAD 8.7 billion. In public hospitals, he added, the number of services billed exceeded MAD 53 million, at a total cost of around MAD 367 million.
To ensure the sustainability of this project and guarantee its financing, Akhannouch said that the government had mobilized the necessary resources, and that the State budget had covered the contribution costs of those unable to pay them to the social security fund, for an annual budget of MAD 9.5 billion.
The Head of Government also stressed that the expansion of healthcare coverage is ongoing, "as professionals and self-employed workers have been able to benefit from this right, following a participatory approach with representative organizations of these categories, which led to the enactment of 22 decrees on its organization within a short period."
Also, in order to improve social security indicators, Akhannouch added that debts owed to the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) related to mandatory health insurance have been canceled, with a full exemption for self-employed workers from penalties and recovery fees until June 30, 2023.
Thanks to these measures, the number of self-employed workers enrolled in the compulsory health insurance system reached more than 1.7 million by the end of January 2025, while the total number of beneficiaries, including primary policyholders and their dependents, rose to 3.9 million.
According to data presented by the Head of Government, the CNSS processed 3.8 million claims, with an average of 5,000 per day, while disbursed amounts exceeded MAD 3 billion.
Akhannouch emphasized that the government has placed significant importance on upgrading the healthcare system, following a structural vision based on three fundamental pillars: adopting effective and efficient governance in the health sector, valuing human resources as the cornerstone of any successful reform, and rehabilitating infrastructure while strengthening the regional dimension to ensure fairness in the distribution of healthcare services.
He also highlighted that the government has successfully implemented the "direct social assistance" program, describing it as "a significant milestone in the path toward the generalization of social protection, in line with the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him."
Since the launch of the digital platform (www.asd.ma) in December 2023, nearly 4 million families have registered, representing approximately 12 million beneficiaries, including 5.4 million children and 1.2 million people over 60 years old, he said, emphasizing that these figures "reflect the substantial positive impact of the program and confirm that the government is steadily advancing towards achieving social justice, in accordance with the Royal Directives."
To ensure the success of this initiative, Akhannouch stressed that the government has mobilized significant financial resources, increasing the budget from MAD 25 billion in 2024 to MAD 29 billion in 2026, "to guarantee its long-term sustainability and strengthen its positive impact on future generations."
MAP: 17 February 2025
