Having heart surgery in Morocco when you come from elsewhere in Africa: how much to budget for the operation, the stay and the journey

When heart surgery is recommended and cannot be done close to home, the first question families ask is often the same: how much do we need to plan for? For a patient coming from Dakar, Abidjan, Bamako, Douala or Libreville, the answer is more than the price of the operation. You also need to count the journey, the stay, the person accompanying you, and the time spent in Morocco. Here is the full budget, item by item, for heart surgery in Tangier.

The price of the operation itself

At the clinic where Dr Mohamed el Amine Tber operates in Tangier, heart surgery usually costs between 70,000 and 150,000 DH. At the Bank Al-Maghrib reference rate for October 2026, about 11 DH to the euro, that is roughly 6,400 to 13,600 euros, or 4.2 to 9 million CFA francs.

The range is wide because there is not just one heart operation, but several:

• The type of procedure: a coronary bypass, a valve replacement or repair, and surgery on the aorta do not involve the same operating time or the same equipment.
• The implanted equipment: a mechanical or biological valve, an aortic prosthesis, the number of grafts in a bypass.
• How long you stay in intensive care and then on the ward, which depends on your condition before the operation.

If the diagnosis has not yet been made, a coronary angiogram may be needed before a decision is taken. It costs between 8,000 and 15,000 DH in a clinic, or about 730 to 1,360 euros.

Read also: coronary angiography in Morocco, cost and what happens during the test

What the CNSS does not cover for a foreign patient

Moroccan articles about the cost of heart surgery often mention 100 % cover by the CNSS. This cover applies to Moroccan members of the compulsory health insurance scheme (AMO). A patient from another country pays for the operation themselves, or through their insurer, their health fund or their government when these fund a medical evacuation.

In that case, the organisation paying almost always asks for a detailed quote and a medical report. This is why the written quote is given to you before you travel, not when you arrive.

The journey to Tangier

There are no direct flights between sub-Saharan Africa and Tangier. The usual route goes through Casablanca, which Royal Air Maroc serves from most capitals in West and Central Africa: allow about three and a half hours of flying from Dakar, and four and a half hours from Abidjan.

From Casablanca, the Al Boraq high-speed train reaches Tangier in 2 h 10, with a departure about every hour, for 100 to 230 DH in second class. There is also a domestic flight from Casablanca to Tangier.

In your budget, plan for:

• a return ticket for the patient, with a changeable return date, as the exact date depends on your recovery;
• a ticket for the person accompanying you;
• the Casablanca to Tangier journey, there and back, for two people.

Visas, depending on your country

The rules depend on your nationality. At the date of this article:

These rules change: always check with the Moroccan consulate in your country before buying tickets. The person accompanying you makes their own application. For a consular visa, the medical report and the surgeon's quote are useful documents for your file.

The stay: how long, and for whom

For heart surgery, allow three to four weeks in Morocco:

• about one week in hospital, including intensive care;
• then two to three weeks of recovery in Tangier, with a check-up before you leave.

You can only fly home once the surgeon has seen you again: the breastbone (sternum) must have started to heal and the risk of complications must have passed. Cardiology guidelines advise against flying in the first two weeks after a bypass. Going home too early to save a few days is never a saving.

During these weeks, you need somewhere to stay, food and transport, for the patient after leaving hospital and for the person accompanying them throughout the stay. This is often the cost families underestimate: include it in your budget from the start, just like the tickets.

Read also: open-heart surgery, what happens and life afterwards

Before you travel: an opinion on your medical file

The trip is not decided on a simple prescription. The first step is done remotely: you send your test results, the surgeon reads them and replies to you.

1. You send your cardiology reports, your heart ultrasound (echocardiogram), your coronary angiogram if one has been done (CD or file), a recent ECG, your blood test results and the list of your medicines.
2. The surgeon confirms whether an operation is needed, which one, and how soon.
3. You receive a written quote that sets out the amount, what is included and how to pay.
4. The date of the operation is set, and you plan the journey around it.

Tests already done in your country are used as far as possible. Some may be repeated in Tangier if the surgeon needs them to prepare the operation.

Money during your stay

Moroccan currency rules require you to declare to customs, on arrival, any foreign currency worth more than 100,000 DH. If you are travelling with a large sum, declare it when you enter the country: this is what allows you to take it out again or account for it later. The payment methods the clinic accepts are shown on the quote: ask before you travel rather than on admission.

The full budget, in summary

After you return home

Once you are home, your follow-up continues with your cardiologist, close to where you live. You leave with the operation report, the discharge letter and the prescription, so that the doctor looking after you knows exactly what was done.

Patients coming from abroad: send your medical file to Dr Tber

What to remember

Heart surgery in Tangier costs between 70,000 and 150,000 DH depending on the procedure, or about 6,400 to 13,600 euros. For a patient coming from another African country, you also need to add the journey for two people, the formalities and a stay of three to four weeks. Everything starts with sending your medical file: you only travel once the need for surgery is confirmed and you have a written quote.

Frequently asked questions