The elderly: A strategy to cure deficiencies
Like most countries around the world, Morocco is faced with an aging population. According to national studies published by the High Commissioner’s Office for Planning (HCP), the proportion of people aged 60 and over has risen from 9.4% in 2014 to 12.7% in 2023, and by 2050 will represent almost a quarter of the Moroccan population. The socio-economic situation of the elderly depends on a number of political, legal, institutional, cultural, and environmental factors. Studies show that in our country, inequalities exist between the sexes, age groups and urban and rural environments, increasing the vulnerability of the elderly and impacting their health and well-being. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection recently published its “ National Strategy for the Health of the Elderly (2024-2030) ”. With a budget of around 893 million Dirhams (USD 89 million), the strategy aims at promoting the situation of seniors, while including prevention and access to care.
Ageing increases the prevalence of chronic diseases, cognitive disorders and disabilities. Despite our efforts, the supply of geriatric care and home healthcare services specifically for the elderly remains low or non-existent. Services dedicated to this healthcare population are included in the national fixed and mobile healthcare offering, at all primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Despite the development of the network of primary healthcare facilities from 3,005 structures in 2017 to 3,142 in 2021 (with a ratio of 12,304 inhabitants per facility), “ elderly subjects suffer, like other categories of the population, from disparity and inequity in the spatial distribution of these facilities, even within the same region and even more so in rural areas ”, notes the Ministry’s study. The study recalls the main barriers cited by the elderly as limiting their regular use of care services. First and foremost, financial inaccessibility is mentioned in 83.6% of cases, even for the well-off. This is followed by physical inaccessibility at 14.7%, particularly in rural areas (28.4% versus 4% in urban areas). Health service organization and quality come in third place. Barriers include long waiting times in getting appointments (8.6%), poor staff behavior (6.0%) and poor quality of services in 3.6% of cases. To remedy the situation, the majority of elderly people (73.5%) are calling for free healthcare, 44.6% for medical cover, 23.9% for price reductions on public services, and 20.7% for free transport.
Faced with these challenges, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection is fully aware of the need for strategic planning. It was against this backdrop that the National Strategy for the Health of the Elderly was drawn up. It specifies the strategic orientations and focus areas for action to be implemented over a seven-year period, from 2024 to 2030. The strategy is structured in two parts. The first part analyses the national context. The second part develops the strategic framework for improving the health and well-being of the elderly. It focuses on access to promotional, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services, adapted to the needs of the elderly.
Fatim-Zahra TOHRY
