Morocco Opens Rare Disease Hub for Faster Diagnosis

For thousands of Moroccans living with rare diseases, getting the right diagnosis has meant years of uncertainty and fragmented care. That changed Friday when Morocco opened its first Precision Medicine Hub at the Mohammed VI International University Hospital Complex in Rabat.

The new center is a partnership between Fondation Mohammed VI des Sciences et de la Santé and AstraZeneca. It promises to cut diagnostic delays and give patients access to advanced genomic testing that was previously out of reach for most families.

Rare diseases are tricky because symptoms often mimic more common conditions, sending patients on a frustrating journey from doctor to doctor. Morocco's new hub solves this by creating coordinated care pathways where specialists work together, share information, and use cutting-edge molecular profiling to pinpoint exactly what's happening.

The launch brought together doctors, patient advocates, and government officials who mapped out practical solutions to close gaps in care. They're building patient registries to track outcomes, training healthcare professionals in precision medicine, and establishing FM6SS as the national go-to center for rare disease expertise.

"The opening of the Precision Medicine Hub represents a concrete step toward our shared vision of a national Center of Excellence dedicated to rare diseases," said Amine Sekhri, AstraZeneca's Director in Morocco. The initiative delivers on a promise made last July when the two organizations signed their partnership agreement.

At the launch event, a "Wall of Handprints" gave patients a voice in their own care journey. The symbolic display showcased real patient experiences and reinforced why early diagnosis matters so much for families navigating these challenging conditions.

The Ripple Effect

This hub does more than help individual patients. By standardizing care across Morocco, it creates a model that generates real-world data other countries can learn from. Healthcare professionals will gain expertise they can share nationwide, and families in remote areas will have clear pathways to specialist care instead of hitting dead ends.

The collaboration brings together public institutions, medical professionals, industry partners, and patient communities in a way Morocco hasn't seen before. When everyone works from the same playbook, patients stop falling through the cracks.

Morocco is proving that even complex medical challenges become solvable when the right people join forces around a shared goal.