Professional Evaluation of Healthcare Professionals in Morocco: Diagnosis of the Current System and Expectations Regarding the Territorial Health Groupings Reform, the Case of the Fès-Meknès Region[Évaluation professionnelle des professionnels de santé au Maroc : diagnostic du système actuel et attentes à l'égard de la réforme des Groupements Sanitaires Territoriaux, cas de la région Fès-Meknès]

This study documents, ahead of its implementation, the expectations of Moroccan healthcare professionals regarding the professional evaluation reform carried by the Territorial Health Groupings (THG), thereby filling a gap in the Moroccan literature, which rarely documents, through field research, how such reforms are received by their intended beneficiaries before deployment. Human resource management in Morocco's public healthcare sector is undergoing a major transformation with the establishment of THG, a cornerstone of the ongoing national health system reform, which includes a new professional evaluation framework intended to replace the current annual rating system, widely regarded as poorly suited to the specificities of the health sector. This study aims to diagnose healthcare professionals' perceptions of the existing evaluation system and to explore their expectations regarding the new evaluation framework planned under the THG reform. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining a structured questionnaire administered to 349 healthcare professionals (a 90.9% response rate on a calculated sample of 384) and ten semi-structured interviews with hospital directors and regional human resource managers, conducted until theoretical saturation. Findings reveal a predominantly critical perception of the current system, seen as overly generic, subjective, and disconnected from field realities, with excessive weight given to seniority. Regarding the reform project, the proposed criteria are perceived as broadly satisfactory by 39% of respondents, with 30% of respondents remaining neutral and 19% expressing disagreement, yet notable skepticism persists about the fairness of the future system (57% disagreement) and supervisors' ability to apply it objectively. Expectations converge around four priorities: fairness, transparency, objectivity, and professional development opportunities. The study offers operational recommendations to secure frontline actors' buy-in for this reform. Keywords: Professional evaluation, Territorial Health Groupings, healthcare human resources, health system reform, Morocco. JEL Classification: M54, M12, D23, H83, I18 Paper type: Empirical Research