Ivory Coast

The political, economic, and military crises of 2002-2010 have taken a severe toll on the Ivorian health system.The country’s health system is one of the weakest in Africa, with only one medical doctor per 10,000 inhabitants, and a lack of medical infrastructure.

Epilepsy and mental health are stigmatized and little-diagnosed in Ivory Coast. MSF teams work in Gbêkê region, in the country’s center, to improve access to mental health care, and diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy at clinics.

During the year, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has sent teams to assess the humanitarian needs in northern Ivory Coast, where there has been an influx of refugees from neighboring Burkina Faso, driven from their homes by recurrent violence.

Tchologo, like other regions in the north of Ivory Coast, is affected by this flow of refugees. Some people are hosted by local families, but many live in precarious conditions, with little access to basic services, including health care