As part of the strengthening of the national health system and the progress of the social protection project, the finance bill (PLF) for the 2023 budget year, tabled this Thursday, October 20 in parliament, increased the budget from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection by 19.5%, granting it a total amount of 28.12 billion dirhams.
Compared to the PLF 2022, the budget allocated to the Ministry of Health increased by 4.58 billion dirhams, i.e. an amount of 28.12 billion dirhams compared to 23.54 billion dirhams granted during the previous year, while allocating 5,500 new financial positions to it. .
In addition, the presentation note for the PLF 2023 indicates that hospitals will benefit from a budget of more than 1.5 billion dirhams during the new financial year. More than 80 centers are then concerned, namely the provincial hospital centers (CHP) of Ouarzazate (11 MDH), Nador (24 MDH), Taroudant (12.5 MDH), El Jadida (21 MDH), Kenitra (25 MDH), Settat (16 MDH), Ifrane (6.5 MDH), Sidi Kacem (16 MDH), in addition tohe regional hospital centers (CHR) of Rabat (28 MDH), Tangier (28 MDH), Errachidia (21 MDH), Fez (32 MDH), Beni Mellal (27 MDH), Agadir (23 MDH ), Marrakech (16 MDH), Casablanca (14 MDH), in addition to blood transfusion, hematology, radiation protection centers, etc.
This budget for health centers is part of the the activation of workshops for the reform of the national health system under the high royal guidelines, aimed at ” a radical revision of the health system, and to make the advancement of the sector among the urgent initiatives which must be initiated at the level of the sites of the generalization of social protection, ordered by King Mohammed VI“, had underlined a previous press release from the ministry. It will thus contribute to the rehabilitation of buildings and especially to the development of their equipment and materials.
As for the appropriations opened for general operating expenses for the 2023 budget year, targeting the upgrading of the national system, the note sets the Ministry of Health an amount of approximately 13.5 billion dirhams for staff as well as an amount of nearly 6.7 billion dirhams for materials and miscellaneous expenses.
Following discussions between the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Khalid Ait Taleb, and the Deputy Minister in charge of the Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa, and following the high royal instructions on health and citizens’ access to care, the note provides, from 1 January 2023, the reduction of import taxes for certain drugs and pharmaceutical products and proposes an exemption from customs taxes for drugs containing, for example, penicillins or derivatives, certain antibiotics, hormones such as insulin, alkaloids or derivatives, anti-diabetics, anti-inflammatories and antipyretics…
The list of exempted products also includes vaccines such as vaccines against influenza, yellow fever, Hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, gastroenteritis…, however, customs duties Imports fixed in this regard vary between 2.5 and 40 dirhams per kilogram.
With regard to the generalization of Compulsory Health Insurance and the support of this important project in terms of social protection, the presentation note of the PLF 2023 envisages an envelope of 9.5 billion dirhams.
Remember that for more than a year, the government has accelerated the implementation of this program in order to guarantee access to care for all citizens. ” The application of this program, which is part of the implementation of the royal project for the generalization of social protection to all Moroccans, is able to consolidate the achievements of the beneficiaries of the Ramed regime and to strengthen the reform of the health system”, indicated Aziz Akhannouch, Head of Government in this regard.