Women's Healthcare in Morocco: What Every Woman Should Know

This is general information, not medical advice. It is meant to help you find the right care in Morocco and to ask the right questions.

What this means for you. Most foreign women living in Morocco use private doctors and clinics, paid up front or through insurance, and in the larger cities that covers routine gynaecology, contraception, screening and pregnancy care. French is the usual working language, and many doctors in the big cities also speak English. The things worth sorting out early are:

• Emergencies: save the numbers and know which clinic near you has a 24-hour emergency department.
• A gynaecologist: find one while you are well, through other women’s recommendations.
• Medicines and contraception: bring a supply and your prescription, and ask a pharmacist or doctor about local equivalents.
• Insurance: if pregnancy is possible, check your maternity cover and any waiting period before you become pregnant.

Emergencies

For a medical emergency, dial 15 from a landline or 150 from a mobile; 112 also works from a mobile. In the large cities, many residents with private insurance go straight to a private clinic’s emergency department instead, because traffic can slow an ambulance. Find out which clinic near you has a 24-hour emergency department, and whether it will deal with your insurer, soon after you arrive. The healthcare guide has the full list of emergency numbers and explains how emergency care works.

Finding a gynaecologist

Private gynaecologists practise in all the larger cities, and appointments are usually made directly, by phone or often by WhatsApp. Ultrasound and laboratory tests are generally charged separately from the consultation. Ask the practice what a visit will cost when you book.

The most reliable way to choose is through other women who have seen the doctor. The English-speaking doctors guide is a starting point if you need to consult in English. If you do not speak French, ask when you book whether the doctor can consult in English.

Contraception and medicines

Contraception, including the pill, IUDs and implants, is available through private gynaecologists and pharmacies, but brands and formulations may differ from home, and you should not assume a product you use will be available here, or on the same terms. Pharmacists are a useful first stop for questions. They are not supposed to hand out prescription-only medicines without a prescription, so do not plan on getting one that way.

The practical approach: bring a supply of what you use, with the prescription and the generic name, and ask a Moroccan doctor to prescribe the local equivalent before you run out. The same applies to any regular medication.

Screening

Mammography is available at private radiology centres, and gynaecologists offer cervical screening. Ask your gynaecologist what they recommend at your age, and which radiology centre they use.

Pregnancy and birth

Private clinics and gynaecologists in the larger cities provide prenatal care and deliveries. Standards vary between clinics as they do anywhere, so ask other mothers about their experience of a particular clinic and doctor, and visit before you book.

Before you become pregnant, read the maternity section of your health insurance. Many policies have a waiting period before maternity care is covered, or limits on what they pay, and some do not cover it at all. Ask the clinic for a written estimate for the birth, and check with your insurer what it will pay and whether it deals with the clinic directly. Some women go back to their home country for the birth, particularly if complications are expected or the insurance works better there.

Paying for care

Private care is usually paid up front and claimed back from your insurer, unless your insurer has an arrangement to pay the clinic directly. Ask for itemised receipts every time. The healthcare guide explains international and Moroccan private insurance, and when foreign residents are covered by the public AMO scheme.

Sensitive matters and the law

Private doctors are bound by professional confidentiality, and clinics used to foreign patients generally treat sexual and reproductive health matter-of-factly. How comfortable a consultation feels still depends on the doctor, and it is reasonable to choose one you can talk to easily.

Some areas of reproductive and sexual health are governed by Moroccan law in ways that may differ from your home country. If a legal question could affect your care, ask a lawyer as well as a doctor, and do not assume the rules you know from home apply here. The guide to women’s rights under Moroccan law covers family law.