Côte d'Ivoire

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women aged 25 to 55 in Côte d’Ivoire. Every day, five women find out they have cervical cancer and four die of the disease. However, screening and treatment of precancerous lesions are not available in all parts of the country.

The practices of regular users of cocaine, heroin, crack and cannabis mean they are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis C and TB.

There are around 23,000 people who use drugs in Côte d’Ivoire and, according to the WHO, HIV is the fifth most common cause of death in the country.

The departments of Téhini and Doropo, in Bounkani Region in north-eastern Côte d’Ivoire, are among the poorest in the country. They have been weakened by low levels of public investment resulting in a severe lack of basic services. Their geographical proximity to the Sahel means they are also affected by the ongoing crisis there. In late 2024, the number of refugees from neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali was estimated at around 72,100 across the whole of the north of the country. Most of those seeking asylum are living with host families in and around Tougbo, Doropo, Téhini, Bouko and Bouna. This situation places greater strain on the available resources and increases the demand for basic services.

Local health facilities are struggling due to staff shortages, lack of financial resources and equipment and problems with medicine supply chains.

During a harm reduction project for people who use drugs between 2015 and 2023, Médecins du Monde identified three operational models in Côte d’Ivoire. The outreach model uses a community approach; the integrated model provides adapted care within healthcare facilities; and the dedicated model revolves around specialist centres. We were able to support the opening of two specialist addiction services in Abidjan and San Pedro.

Since then, Médecins du Monde has continued to provide active support to Ivorian partners in harm reduction and has begun to extend its expertise to the wider region, in Togo and Benin.

In response to population displacements from Burkina Faso to north-eastern Côte d’Ivoire, Médecins du Monde supports six first-contact facilities and four referral hospitals in the Bouna, Doropo and Téhini health districts to ensure primary healthcare provision and emergency care for pregnant women and children under the age of five.

We train and educate health workers to improve maternal and infant care and the response to gender-based violence, provide medical equipment and medicines and hold supervision sessions at health centres on medicines management, use of data collection tools and quality of care. In 2024, primary care consultations were provided to 30,693 people at the health centres we support.