This project aimed at further improving the health care for the population of the rural community of Médina Chérif. This was achieved by upgrading and linking seven small village health stations, established by the Senegalese Government about 20 years ago, with the newly built small clinic and the maternity post in Médina Chérif. Approximately 13,000 inhabitants benefitted from comprehensive medical support, including HIV/AIDS prevention and therapy, vaccination campaigns and hygiene promotion. To achieve these objectives, the dilapidated village health stations were renovated and equipped. Furthermore, medical assistants were trained to ensure that initial consultations and prenatal care as well as HIV/AIDS information are available to all patients on village level. More severe cases were transferred to the clinic in Médina Chérif or further to the district hospital in Kolda and a suitable car was equipped as ambulance.

Project Background: 

In the last three years, a small clinic and a maternity post were built and equipped in Médina Chérif in cooperation with the district medical authorities, serving the area as a central point for health care and pre- and post-natal care. Staffed with medical personnel, a capacity of 8 beds for short inpatient treatment and providing medication at very low cost, these two health facilities have become the backbone of public health in this rural area. By acquiring public funding, both infrastructures are by now financially sustainable.