Rabat, September 04, 2026 – The Europe Today: Morocco has launched its National Mental Health Plan 2030, backed by nearly MAD 4 billion, in a major effort to expand access to mental healthcare, strengthen prevention and improve treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration services across the country.
The plan was officially launched in Rabat under the supervision of Minister of Health and Social Protection Amine Tehraoui. It seeks to address significant gaps in mental healthcare, with around 6.5 million Moroccans estimated to be living with a mental health disorder, including approximately 2 million children and young people under the age of 25.
According to the figures presented with the strategy, about 85 percent of people requiring mental health services currently face difficulties accessing appropriate care. Morocco currently has around 6.7 psychiatric beds and 1.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 inhabitants, while the public sector has only a limited number of psychologists.
Under the plan, the number of psychiatric hospitals is expected to increase from 10 to 17 by 2030, while intermediate mental health facilities will rise from four to 24. Psychiatric bed capacity is also projected to nearly double, from 2,466 to approximately 4,728 beds, with the objective of ensuring better access to services across all regions of the Kingdom.
Human resources represent another key component of the strategy. The number of psychologists working in the public sector is expected to increase from 32 to 786. Annual training capacity would rise from 36 to 124 psychiatrists and from 490 to 750 specialized mental health nurses. The plan also envisages establishing a legal framework governing the psychology profession.
The strategy is built around three strategic pillars and four framework conditions, comprising 86 actions and measures. It was developed by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in cooperation with 13 ministerial departments and other stakeholders, with support from the World Health Organization.
The first pillar focuses on mental health promotion, prevention and early detection, particularly among children and young people. Measures include strengthening the early identification of psycho-affective developmental disorders and introducing psychosocial assessment tools for adolescents in youth health facilities and university hospitals.
The second pillar focuses on reorganizing and expanding mental healthcare services. The plan calls for psychiatric services to be available across provinces and prefectures, improved access to essential psychotropic medicines at primary healthcare facilities, and wider deployment of outpatient mental health consultations for adults and children.
It also includes plans to establish mother-and-child mental health units in selected maternity departments and develop a specialized psychiatric emergency response system integrated into the national emergency medical service.
Minister Tehraoui said the strategy represents a shift toward treating mental health as a cross-sectoral public policy, with clearly defined and measurable actions adapted to the needs of different regions.
He stressed the need for earlier intervention, expanded reception capacity and significantly stronger human resources, with the ultimate objective of making mental healthcare more accessible to people throughout Morocco by 2030.
The launch of the plan marks a significant step in Morocco’s efforts to strengthen its national healthcare system and address longstanding gaps in mental health prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
