Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeries in Morocco
It might seem that plastic and cosmetic surgical procedures are only a recent phenomenon in Morocco. They are not.
These procedures actually have a long history there, dating back to several decades ago. It is said that the country was where the first center for cosmetic surgery was opened in the region.
Morocco is becoming more and more a popular medical tourism destination, with plastic and cosmetic surgeries leading the way. The demand for these procedures is rising steadily. As of 2011, up to about 1,200 cosmetic surgeries were reportedly being done each month.
A 2011 report by the BBC had it that there were not enough surgeons to handle the demand for plastic surgery.
There were only about 50 board certified plastic surgeons in the entire country that year. But that was still a significant improvement from just four in 1990, according to a president of the Moroccan Society for Plastic Surgery.
The estimate has it that up to 15 percent of cosmetic procedures done each year are on clients from foreign countries.
Demand for plastic surgery in Morocco is so significant that an Emirati property firm decided to build a large complex for these procedures. The $40m facility, dubbed Marrakesh Healthcare City, is intended mainly for medical tourists.
Most plastic surgeons and clinics can be found in Rabat, the administrative capital, and Casablanca, the economic capital.
