Medicina Ocupacional y Asuntos de Salud

Abstracto

Free Health Care in Public Health Establishments of Côte d’Ivoire: Born Dead?

Allassane F Ouattara, Clarisse A Houngbedji and Benjamin G Koudou

Everyone should be able to access health services and not be subject to financial hardship. A cornerstone of effective access to health care and outcomes remain economic and social conditions. Obviously, improved health leads to human development. Thus, it’s absolutely necessary for African country to undergo a reform of health care systems. Several countries (Rwanda, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Kenya) are trying to establish social protection programs which will give medical cover to more of their citizens. For a long time, the State of Côte d’Ivoire was aware of the importance of free healthcare. But it was in April 2011, the country has tried to implement free health care policy in public health establishments for all citizens. Although the Ivorian health system is well structured and hierarchized, many problems related to the funding and functioning of the health establishments handicapped this policy of free healthcare. The public health policy of Ivorian government in its current form should be improved. More efforts are required in terms of funding, drugs availability, social protection, human resources, and medical infrastructure.