An official study said that Moroccans suffer from disparities in the face of death, as the life expectancy at birth among the wealthiest groups is much higher compared to the poorest groups, with a difference of more than four years.
The life span is the average number of years a person is expected to live since his birth within a group of individuals, and the life span currently in Morocco exceeds 75 years.
The study stated that city dwellers have a longer life span than village residents; This can be explained by a combination of factors, the level of poverty, and the difficulty of accessing social care.
This came in a study entitled "Trends and Disparities in the Face of Death in Morocco" prepared by Mohamed Fassi Fihri, Director of the Center for Demographic Studies and Research at the High Commission for Planning.
The document stated that health-related indicators, especially those related to mortality, show that Morocco has recorded significant progress in this regard; however, it is progress that does not benefit everyone, given the existence of existing disparities by region, residence, and social group.
According to the delegation, child mortality has witnessed a marked decrease since 1992; However, the disparity persisted according to residence, regions, and social groups.
In numbers, the neonatal mortality rate decreased significantly from 31.4 per thousand in 1992 to 13.6 per thousand in 2018; This represents a decrease of 56.7 percent.
The study indicated that despite the improvement in child mortality indicators in Morocco thanks to health programs and the relative improvement in infrastructure, the sector still suffers from many shortcomings, mainly caused by weak human and material means, poor coordination between programs and sectors, as well as governance.
According to the author of the study, the supply of human resources in the health sector remains limited and unequal between the parties. The most vulnerable groups find it difficult to access health care despite the health coverage through the “RAMED” program.
The data of the study cautioned that efforts made to reduce mortality and disparities could be significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; This is what UNICEF and the World Health Organization have indicated, with an increase in the deaths of children under the age of five by about 51,000 children in the Middle East and North Africa.
According to the data, the restrictions on movement and economic obstacles have greatly hindered people's access to health care; This results in the risk of missing out on preventive interventions, such as immunization, treatment of newborn infections, care during pregnancy and childbirth, and services aimed at preventing further malnutrition.