Scaling Telemedicine in Morocco: Policy Context, System Readiness, and Implementation Evidence

Résumé

Abstract

Background: Telemedicine has emerged as a relevant lever for improving healthcare access in countries where geographic disparities, workforce shortages, and structural fragilities limit the delivery of in-person care. In Morocco, digital health initiatives expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating both momentum and new pressures on a health system that was already navigating a complex modernization trajectory. While the urgency of the pandemic has passed, its effects on the adoption of remote care tools have proven more durable than initially anticipated, making it necessary to examine what has actually changed and what continues to hold progress back.  Methods: This narrative review synthesizes Moroccan national policy documents, ministerial white papers, and peer-reviewed scientific literature published between 2017 and 2025 to analyze telemedicine development across three complementary dimensions: (1) the institutional and regulatory framework, (2) digital readiness and health information system interoperability, and (3) empirical evidence from clinical and public health implementations. The review was structured to capture both the enabling conditions and the structural barriers that shape telemedicine integration in the Moroccan context.  Results: The review documents a growing level of institutional engagement with telemedicine, supported by national strategic documents and an expanding body of empirical research. Healthcare professionals generally hold positive attitudes toward teleconsultation, though practical continue to constrain effective adoption. Health information systems remain fragmented and poorly interoperable, directly undermining the continuity of care that telemedicine is expected to support. Evidence from specific domains, including chronic disease management, tuberculosis adherence, neonatal screening, and rehabilitation, confirms feasibility but also reveals important quality and equity gaps that have not yet been systematically addressed.  Conclusion: Telemedicine in Morocco is moving beyond isolated pilots toward more deliberate integration within the national health system. However, this transition remains structurally constrained. Sustainable progress will require coherent governance mechanisms, investment in interoperable digital infrastructure, and comprehensive training strategies for healthcare professionals. Future research must move beyond feasibility assessments to rigorously evaluate quality of care, patient experience, and equity outcomes, in order to ensure that digital health tools contribute to reducing rather than reinforcing existing disparities.

Keywords: telemedicine; telehealth; digital health; teleconsultation; e-health; Morocco.