Amid Morocco’s ongoing efforts to improve public health and enhance medical services, a widely debated issue has emerged: the heavy reliance on the French language within hospitals and clinics. This usage spans direct communication with patients, as well as writing medical reports and explaining health conditions. This phenomenon poses a real challenge, especially in popular and rural areas, where many citizens lack French proficiency, hindering their understanding of medical instructions and limiting the quality of healthcare.

Nature of the Problem and Its Impact

Effective communication between doctor and patient is fundamental for delivering quality healthcare. However, the predominant use of French in the healthcare sector creates a language barrier, particularly in working-class or rural regions where French proficiency is low. Many patients depend on gestures or simplified phrases to understand medical directions, which may lead to:

• Medical Misunderstanding: Failure to correctly grasp diagnoses or treatment instructions, negatively affecting therapy effectiveness.
• Diminished Trust in the Health System: Patients feel excluded due to communication difficulties, reducing their satisfaction with the services.
• Widening Social Gap: Exacerbating challenges faced by marginalized groups, especially in rural areas where local dialects such as Darija or Amazigh dominate.