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Women living abroad in Morocco might wonder what to expect if they’ll be having a baby. They might be concerned about Moroccan standards for medical care and debate whether or not they should return home for the delivery. I worried about this myself after moving to Morocco!
If you ask other expats about this, you’ll probably hear a variety of good and bad experiences. Not only will everyone have their own unique stories to share about pregnancy and childbirth, but they’re also likely to compare the quality of care they received in Morocco to what they would expect in their own countries. This can lead to very mixed advice.
There are many factors to consider including prenatal care, quality of care, delivery standards, private versus public doctor and hospital care, financial costs, postpartum care, and more. This article will discuss some of the most important topics to help you have an idea of what to expect.
Prenatal Care in Morocco
In Morocco there are two types of health care, public and private. Private prenatal care in which you select your own obstetrician-gynecologist is the most popular. Public prenatal care is available at government run clinics and public hospitals.
Some private practice family doctors are also qualified to handle general prenatal care but not the delivery itself.
Private Prenatal Care
If you don’t speak French or Arabic, you’ll probably want to find an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) who is fluent in English. This can be a challenge if you’re living in a small town or rural area. Apps such as Dabadoc might be helpful in locating a doctor, or you can ask for referrals from English speaking friends and networking groups.
Assuming your pregnancy is not high-risk, you’ll probably see your OB-GYN once every four to eight weeks, with an increase in frequency as the pregnancy progresses.
Cost of Private Prenatal Care
The cost of prenatal visits to a private OB-GYN visit can vary from one doctor to another. There is often no pattern or reason for the difference in price. There is also no correlation between the cost of a visit and the quality of care given.
Some OB-GYNs charge a set fee for prenatal appointments. This can range from 150 to 400 dirhams with an additional ultrasound fee of 150 to 300 dirhams. Other OB-GYNs might include prenatal ultrasounds in their regular appointment fee.
These figures might lead you think that the cost of prenatal care quickly adds up, and it can if you're having a complicated pregnancy and need more than the average number of appointments.
Fortunately, most OB-GYNs offer a second appointment known as a “control” for free. So your prenatal visits will probably consist of one paid, one free, one paid, one free, etc.
Some doctors, however, require that a control visit occur within a certain number of days from the paid visit. It’s therefore best to ask your OB-GYN about their prenatal fee structure so you know what to budget.
What About Health Insurance?
If you have health insurance, expect to pay the full amount at your visit. The doctor will sign and stamp your insurance form which you’ll then submit yourself to make a claim for reimbursement.
If you’re prescribed any medicines, be sure to keep the boxes to submit with your insurance form. Moroccan insurance companies like CNSS and CNOPS won’t reimburse for them otherwise. You’ll also need to make sure to have your pharmacist sign and stamp the insurance form and prescription.
Public Prenatal Care
Public prenatal care is mostly free for Moroccan nationals and foreign residents and is followed at your local public hospital. While low cost care may sound good on the surface, public prenatal care is generally not as thorough as private and you should expect appointments to be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
To see an OB-GYN or midwife, you have to go to your local public hospital early in the morning, take a number then sit and wait for your turn, which can often take hours or even the whole day.
But don’t assume that you won’t wait a long time if you go to a private OB-GYN. Most do work by appointment, but they might run late if they have had a delivery to attend or if their rounds at the clinic took longer than expected. And there are some private doctors who see patients on a first-come, first-served basis.
Prenatal Ultrasounds and Other Screening
Public hospitals often don't offer ultrasounds if they think the pregnancy is going well, and many won't reveal the gender of a baby unless you persuade them to give you the information.
In contrast, private OB-GYNs often offer an early transvaginal ultrasound to check for baby's heartbeat and to determine a due date. They’ll then schedule the next ultrasound for 12 weeks and every four to six weeks thereafter.
Private OB-GYNs also tend to be more helpful in terms of other routine and optional prenatal screening tests. Some tests that may be standard in other countries might be less common and therefore a little pricey in Morocco. Insurance coverage for these tests will vary from one plan to another.
Many Moroccans prefer to follow their prenatal care with a private OB-GYN and then give birth in a public hospital if they can’t afford a private clinic. This reflects a general perception that private prenatal care will be of a much higher standard than that of public prenatal care.
City vs. Rural Medical Care
The quality and availability of medical care in Moroccan cities versus rural areas are on two different sides of a scale. Many rural areas in Morocco simply do not have convenient access to doctors or hospitals. That combined with poverty often results in women receiving inadequate care throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
Rural residents may not have the means to travel to the nearest public hospital for routine prenatal care. Some may not see a doctor for their entire pregnancy. Many women who live in rural areas give birth at home with the help of a family member or local midwife, then are sent to the nearest municipal hospital for follow-up care if needed.
Due to these challenges, some rural women decide to move to a city or town for their last month of pregnancy. They feel reassured that they’ll be able to find a doctor if there are any complications, and they feel a sense of security from being able to prepare for a hospital delivery rather than home birth.
Delivery of the Baby
Private Moroccan clinics and hospitals are generally better equipped for delivery than public hospitals. While out of reach financially for some, the cost of having a baby at a private Moroccan clinic may be only a fraction of comparable private care in your home country.
What to Pack in Your Maternity Bag
Some doctors will give you a list of what to pack in your maternity bag. If you aren't clear on this, be sure to ask so that you don't have any surprises and find yourself without essentials immediately following delivery.
No matter where you plan to deliver, you should expect to pack more than you might for a delivery in your home country. For the new mother that means maternity pads, toiletries, a towel, a pair or two of pajamas, a robe, and change or two of clothes. For baby you'll need several changes of newborn clothes, newborn diapers, wipes, lotion and baby shampoo, and a blanket or two.
If planning to give birth in a public hospital, it’s important to know that nothing is provided for you. You will have to take your own bedding including sheet, pillowcase, and blanket and essentials like toilet paper on top of everything else in your maternity bag.
Having a Baby at a Public Hospital
Public hospitals do not always have an OB-GYN on site, so midwives and nurses are often the ones in charge of helping women give birth. This can actually be advantageous. There will be little to no pressure to get through labor quickly, so there is high rate of natural births in public hospitals as compared to cesareans.
The obvious disadvantage to not having an attending OB-GYN