As there's no mountain rescue in Morocco, do I really need insurance?

Ok - well first of all, it's not strictly true that there is zero mountain rescue in the Moroccan High Atlas. There is a private helicopter service based out of Marrakech which can fly to the Toubkal mountain refuges and pick up a casualty from there. That's about it though - a casualty injured high up on the hill will have to be moved to the refuges to stand any chance of an air-lift out.

So you would need insurance for the services of the civilian chopper from the Toubkal refuges - unless your credit card can extend to it! In addition, even though there are no formal rescue services in the entire range, there will be costs associated with your evacuation (even if it's just paying the diesel costs of the 4x4). On top of that, the hospital / private clinic will be reluctant to let you leave without being paid! Lastly if real tragedy strikes and you need an air ambulance back home to a European hospital, your credit card providers may balk at this "purchase"!

So the short answer is "yes" - never leave for the mountains without first having arranged medical / rescue / repatriation insurance cover.