Cochlear implants: Princess Lalla Asmaa highlights Morocco–Kenya medical cooperation

This update focuses on Cochlear implants Princess Lalla Asmaa. The recent visit by Princess Lalla Asmaa to Kenyan and Moroccan children who received cochlear implants in Rabat confirms Morocco’s ambition to act as a regional hub for specialized care in Africa, with potential benefits for families of Moroccans living abroad.

Cochlear implants Princess Lalla Asmaa and Kenya’s First Lady

On Tuesday, at the Mohammed VI International University Hospital in Rabat, Princess Lalla Asmaa, president of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, welcomed Kenya’s First Lady Rachel Ruto, who also heads the Voice of Children Foundation.

They visited Kenyan and Moroccan patients who underwent cochlear implant surgery as part of the fourth phase of the international programme “Unis, on s’entend mieux” and the national campaign “NASMAA”.

The Kenyan children treated in Morocco are part of a group of 100 young patients with profound deafness covered by this fourth phase, launched in Nairobi on 5 November 2025 by Princess Lalla Asmaa and Rachel Ruto.

This phase provides cochlear implants for 70 children in Kenya and for 30 additional young patients received in Morocco. The first ten have already followed in the Kingdom exactly the same medical pathway as Moroccan children.

Morocco sharing its medical expertise with Africa

The programme fits into King Mohammed VI’s humanist and solidarity-based vision of an active South–South cooperation. It allows deaf children to discover the world of sound, communicate, learn and develop, while also supporting the transfer of medical skills between teams.

Through the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, Morocco positions itself as a country that creates, innovates and shares its know-how instead of “growing alone”. Under the leadership of Princess Lalla Asmaa, 100 Kenyan deaf children have benefited from the experience of Moroccan medical teams, as have hundreds of children from other African countries.

This cooperation model reflects the King’s will to place Moroccan expertise at the disposal of partner nations. It is a concrete illustration of a caring and proactive Morocco, especially in a sensitive area for families: early care for childhood deafness.

Why this matters to Moroccans living abroad

For Moroccans living abroad who are raising a deaf child, these developments carry practical implications. First, they confirm that Morocco is scaling up its capacity in cochlear implants, including complex cases, and is opening its protocols to international patients.

Without replacing the systems in their countries of residence, this progress offers an additional option to families in the diaspora who are considering:

• returning permanently to Morocco with a deaf child who will need ongoing care;
• organising regular medical follow-up during holidays in the country;
• or seeking a second opinion in a Moroccan specialist centre.

Alongside the “Unis, on s’entend mieux” programme, the Foundation is rolling out the national “NASMAA” campaign in five cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech and Oujda. It focuses on early screening and access to care for deaf children in Morocco.

For Moroccans abroad planning a return or a long-term family project in the country, the gradual structuring of these specialist care pathways is as important as schools or housing. It strengthens the perception of Morocco as a place capable of handling, at home, conditions that previously required treatment abroad.

By putting cochlear implants and the role of Princess Lalla Asmaa at the centre of cooperation with Kenya, this visit underlines that Morocco’s health policy now extends beyond its borders, through a regional network of medical solidarity. Moroccans living abroad can benefit directly from this evolution, or indirectly through relatives who remain in the country.

Access conditions to these programmes, and possible agreements with other states, will need to be followed as official announcements and detailed information are released by the relevant institutions.

For more context, readers can follow Canal212 news for Moroccans abroad.

For official updates, readers can check the relevant official source.