Digitalization and Social Protection: Towards an Accessible and Secure Health System

Abstract

This theoretical article lies at the intersection of two rapidly expanding fields: digital health and social protection reform. While digitalization is frequently presented as a structural lever for modernizing health systems, the literature specific to emerging countries remains fragmented, largely descriptive, and insufficiently grounded in a critical analysis of the institutional conditions for implementation. This theoretical gap is particularly salient in the Moroccan context, where the generalization of Compulsory Health Insurance (AMO) and the deployment of the Hospital Information System (HIS) are part of an ambitious social reform, yet studies evaluating the actual efficiency of the digital transition remain scarce.

The central research question is: to what extent does the integration of the Hospital Information System (HIS) and the unique patient identifier contribute to the efficiency of the care pathway in Moroccan public institutions, and what are the specific organizational barriers to this transition? To address this question, the article mobilizes an integrated analytical framework combining the neo-institutional theory of DiMaggio and Powell (1983), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) of Davis (1989), and systems theory, in order to examine the macro-institutional, meso-organizational, and micro-individual dimensions of digital transformation.

The specific contribution of this work lies in proposing an integrated conceptual model demonstrating that the success of digital transformation depends not only on the performance of technological tools, but also on crucial institutional, organizational, and social dimensions. In particular, semantic system interoperability, data governance, and digital inclusion emerge as key success factors. The digital divide, observable in the Moroccan context, constitutes a structural barrier likely to reproduce or even exacerbate health inequalities if not specifically addressed by public policies.

JEL Classification :I11, I18, O33, I38

Paper type : Theoretical Research.