Medical facilities are adequate in Moroccan towns for non-emergency matters, though most medical staff will have little or no English skills. Specialised care and treatment lags behind Western European standards.
Most ordinary prescription and over- the- counter medicines are widely available. However, specialized prescriptions may be difficult to get, while availability of all medicines in rural areas is unreliable and emergency assistance may not be available.
If you plan to in the mountains and other remote areas, you would be advised to carry a first aid kit and a Moroccan phone card for emergencies. In the event of car accidents involving injuries, immediate ambulance service not usually available. The police emergency services telephone number is 190.
Medical insurance: You are strongly urged to consult with their medical insurance company prior to travelling to Morocco to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.
Vaccinations
None are compulsory, but most travellers to Morocco will need vaccinations for hepatitis A and typhoid fever, as well as medications for diarrhoea. You are advised to drink bottled water outside the main cities and avoid street food. All foreigners are advised to ensure their tetanus and polio vaccinations are kept up to date.
Medical Spas
Morocco’s medical spas are for those who are interested in healthcare in a spa setting, either at a day spa or at a spa with overnight accommodation. Morocco medical spas offer traditional and complementary medical services supervised or administered by medical professionals. These spas are designed to provide a beautifying, relaxing, or pampering experience. Spas are located in health clubs, hotels, shopping centers, department stores, and even airports.
Some spas resemble the authentic Moroccan hammam, or steam bath, that is a central part of Moroccan life. Each hammam has showers and washrooms. Treatments at a spa include massage, manicure, pedicure, and facials.
Hammams
These are a basic version of the medical spas, for the local people who often don’t have baths or adequate washing facilities at home. It is normal for a Moroccan to visit a Hammam once a week for a good “scrub up”, to last the rest of the week. When I say “scrub up”, this is meant in the truest sense of the word! The Hammam is an education in itself: it is definitely not for the prudish, but if you dare go in, you will come out feeling cleaner than you ever remember, with smooth, super-exfoliated skin and supple, if a little achy, joints due to the highly vigorous massage routine you will undergo. Travellers go to Hammams in larger towns, so you will not stick out like a sore thumb.
How to spot the hammam: In the old medina, hammam signs are likely to be written in Arabic. If you can’t read Arabic script, look for these tell-tale hints:
- People walking by with buckets full of shower supplies, rolled floor mats and towels. The hammams separate men and women with different opening hours for each. Men usually visit in the evening.
- A smoky smell, caused by timber fires to heat the water.
- A bakery. The community hammam often shares heating facilities with a bakery.
Written by
Emma Stephenson