205. Commercial Market Strategies Project (2003), ‘Morocco Improving Access to Private-Sector Reproductive Health Products and Services’, Country Profile, Commercial Market Strategies Project (CMS), Washington DC. Accessed at http://www.cmsproject.com/resources/PDF/CMS_Morocco_profile.pdf

Over the past three decades, Morocco, with a population of 30 million, has made significant gains in both the use of modern contraceptives and in maternal and child health. The contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) rose from 19 percent in 1978 to 60 percent in 2000. Despite increased use of contraceptives, the need for quality family planning services is great. More than half of current non-users say they want to use contraceptives. Oral contraceptives represent more than 63 percent of the method mix. The public sector dominates the provision of contraceptive products and services. More than 60 percent of all modern contraceptive users obtain their methods from public clinics, which provide free services to all clients. As donors are reducing or withdrawing support for family planning programs, the public sector may soon face shortfalls in funding and supplies. One way to strengthen the sustainability of contraceptive programs in Morocco is to increase the role of the private sector. The Moroccan private sector is underutilized, in part due to the competition from the public sector. In addition, many private providers lack training in modern contraceptive methods (especially long-term methods, such as IUDs and injectables).  The Moroccan Ministry of Health (MOH) launched the country’s first contraceptive social marketing program in 1989. The goal of the program was to use the commercial sector to bring affordable and sustainable contraceptives to low- and middle-income consumers. The program was established with USAID assistance, first through the Social Marketing for Change (SOMARC) project and then through CMS. From 1998 to 2003, CMS managed and coordinated the Al Hilal family of products. This document is about the experience of CMS in Morocco.