MSF Focus on Mali

Why are we There?

2014

Access to basic healthcare was severely restricted in parts of northern Mali in 2014, as the security situation deteriorated. Jihadist attacks continued against military targets and peace talks did not lead to an agreement.
Civilians were unable to seek medical assistance in areas controlled by certain factions or where there were violent clashes between armed groups.
There is still a shortage of health workers and the authorities lack the means to respond to health crises such as epidemics.

Northern Mali

The Médecins Sans Frontières programme supporting several health centres in Gao region.
A team continued to provide free healthcare and medicine to patients in Ansongo reference hospital, where there are currently insufficient government health staff to cover the needs of the population.
Médecins Sans Frontières also supported the health ministry during a measles outbreak at the beginning of the year and collaborated with other organisations to ensure screening for child malnutrition and seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) in Gao region.
Médecins Sans Frontières supported the 65-bed Timbuktu regional hospital, focusing on medical and surgical emergencies.
Teams also provided consultations for patients with chronic illnesses at the Centre de Santé de Référence (CSREF), to treat diseases such as diabetes or hypertension and combat complications.
Mobile teams continued to support staff in five peripheral health centres offering basic care, vaccinations and malnutrition screening, but insecurity severely hampered supervision of these facilities in 2014 and danger on the roads hindered patient travel to Timbuktu for referrals and hospitalisation.

Southern Mali

In the relatively peaceful south of the country, Médecins Sans Frontières focused on children’s health, primarily treating malaria – the main cause of child mortality – and severe acute malnutrition in Koutiala, Sikasso region.
Médecins Sans Frontières supports the paediatric unit within Koutiala health centre, and basic healthcare in five district health areas.
A pilot preventive paediatric care project, including vaccinations and bed net distribution, continued in the Konséguéla health area.

Ebola response

Following confirmed cases of Ebola in October, two emergency teams were dispatched to Kayes and Bamako to set up and run Ebola management centres (EMCs).
Médecins Sans Frontières reinforced the health ministry’s capacity to detect and respond to alerts, trained rapid response teams, participated in the elaboration of country protocols, and treated patients in the EMCs to prevent further infections.

For the latest news on where we work visit: http://activityreport.msf.org/

Médecins Sans Frontières has worked in the country since 1984 and at the end of 2014, Médecins Sans Frontières had 883 staff in Mali.