King Mohammed VI of Morocco inaugurated a Ksh 45.6 billion state-of-the-art International University Hospital Complex (CHU) in Rabat and ordered the commissioning of a similar facility in Agadir.
Morocco’s cutting-edge hospital capacity has been increased by nearly 1,500 beds, spread between Rabat and Agadir.
A true symbol of a new era of modern and smart healthcare infrastructure, the Mohammed VI International University Hospital Complex in Rabat, built by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health, embodies the ambition to offer all citizens equitable access to state-of-the-art healthcare services, based on a hospital facility incorporating the most advanced medical innovations, backed by a leading university and research structure.
Built on an area of 280,000 m², the Mohammed VI Complex in Rabat comprises two complementary entities: the Mohammed VI International University Hospital in Rabat (190,000 m²) and the Mohammed VI University of Science and Health in Rabat (90,000 m²).
With an initial capacity of 600 beds, expandable to 1,000 beds, the Mohammed VI-Rabat International University Hospital brings together more than 30 centres of medical, surgical, and technical excellence, covering specialities such as robotic surgery, neurosurgery, interventional cardiology, oncology, radiotherapy, and advanced medical imaging.
Among other facilities, the hospital has 24 state-of-the-art operating rooms, 19 of which are concentrated in an integrated operating theatre with a total area of 3,400 m², including hybrid and robotic rooms, as well as 143 beds dedicated to critical care, including 30 neonatal resuscitation incubators.
The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including PET-MRI, a first in Morocco and Africa, combined with PET-SCAN for high-precision diagnosis. It is also equipped with a 3T Omega MRI, the Ethos Hypersight radiotherapy system, a robotic hospital pharmacy, and a simulation centre.
Among the innovative services, it is worth mentioning the burn unit and the hyperbaric and hypobaric oxygen therapy service, unique in Morocco, intended for patients with severe burns.
Among its innovative services, it is worth mentioning the burn treatment unit and the hyperbaric and hypobaric oxygen therapy service, unique in Morocco, intended for advanced medical treatments and physiological research.
The hospital also stands out for having set up the first fully automated laboratory platform in Africa, covering all stages (pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical) of chemistry, immunology, and haematology analyses. It also has the only digitised anatomical pathology laboratory in Morocco, offering traceability and high precision in diagnostics.
Focused on the patient, Mohammed VI Rabat International University Hospital offers integrated and personalised care pathways, guaranteeing comfort, safety, and quality.
The facility is also a privileged learning environment for students at Mohammed VI University of Science and Health, offering immersion in cutting-edge clinical and technological environments.
A true academic centre of excellence, Mohammed VI University of Science and Health-Rabat will contribute to strengthening one of the strategic pillars of the healthcare system overhaul, namely human capital.
The university has 15 lecture halls with a total capacity of 4,000, 72 classrooms, and 217 rooms for practical and supervised work. With a capacity of up to 8,000 students, this educational facility has several faculties and schools: Mohammed VI Faculty of Medicine-Rabat, Mohammed VI Faculty of Dentistry, Mohammed VI Faculty of Pharmacy, Mohammed VI School of Veterinary Medicine, Mohammed VI School of Health Sciences Engineering, Mohammed VI Faculty of Nursing and Health Professions.
An international medical simulation centre completes the facility, offering students practical training in an environment that replicates real-world professional conditions.
Committed to sustainability, the Mohammed VI International University Hospital Complex in Rabat is certified HQE (High Environmental Quality), “exceptional” level. It is equipped with 8,800 m² of photovoltaic panels, covering more than 10% of its energy needs and enabling a 40% reduction in its carbon emissions.
As for the Mohammed VI University Hospital Center in Agadir, which will be open to citizens in accordance with royal instructions, it was built on a 30-hectare site (127,000 m² covered), located near the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy.
With an investment of around 3.1 billion dirhams, the new Mohammed VI University Hospital in Agadir, with a total capacity of 867 beds, has several departments (mother and child, medical and surgical, radiology, cardiology, etc.), a central operating theatre (19 rooms) and others for emergencies (5 rooms) and severe burns, a laboratory, a central pharmacy, and an integrated training and simulation system.
A true symbol of modernity, Agadir University Hospital is the first facility in Africa to incorporate “the Revo I” surgical robot into its technical platform, enabling minimally invasive procedures with micrometric precision, high-definition 3D vision, and unprecedented operating comfort for both surgeon and patient.
With two cardiac catheterisation rooms and intensive care units equipped with multi-parameter monitors, the cardiology centre at the new university hospital provides comprehensive care for coronary and heart rhythm disorders.
The equipment, which complies with international standards, enables angioplasty, electrophysiological exploration, and high-resolution intravascular imaging.
Similarly, to guarantee patient safety and quality of care, the Mohammed VI University Hospital in Agadir is equipped with a complete sterilisation centre (washers-disinfectors, saturated steam autoclaves, and automated packaging areas ensuring instrument traceability and maximum patient safety), as well as a central pharmacy with a medication dispensing robot, ensuring secure preparation and automated delivery to hospital departments, a first in the region.
A new-generation referral hospital, this project, which will benefit some 3 million people, will contribute to the development of hospital infrastructure in the Souss-Massa region and the strengthening of health services, bringing them closer to citizens who will no longer need to travel to other cities for complicated surgeries or certain difficult pathologies.
The two large hospital facilities will generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, thereby contributing to economic and social development at both the regional and national levels.
