Supporting improvements in basic health services in Northern Mali

The security crisis in Mali, which started in 2012, has had negative impacts on an already weak health system, especially in the north of the country. The first phase of the project brought certain health indicators in the Timbuktu and Gao regions in line with national averages. However, there are still many unmet needs and the health system remains very weak. AFD has set out to address these challenges by deciding to renew its support in these regions, by financing a second phase of the “Facilité Santé Nord Mali” project, in the context of the Sahel Alliance.

The project concerns a hundred basic health centers and 7 referral health centers in the five health districts of the Timbuktu region, as well as in the health districts of Gao and Bourem. The project activities plan to:

• Strengthen maternal and child health services by continuing to upgrade health centers, training medical staff, improving the response to healthcare demand in terms of family planning, and improving access to the most remote areas.
• Support the development of the health financing system to help basic health centers operate autonomously and improve the identification of the most vulnerable populations and healthcare for them.  
• Strengthen the governance of the health system in two regions of operation.

• Improvement in the health of populations: some 2,000 cases of malnutrition treated in the Gao region, 10,000 children immunized and 6,000 assisted childbirths in the Timbuktu region
• Awareness-raising for over 25,000 people on key family practices and nutrition
• Improvement in access to quality healthcare via rehabilitated and equipped health facilities benefiting from access to water 
• Promotion of women’s empowerment and improvement in the availability of family planning services 
• Rehabilitation of health authorities in Mali’s North regions.