GUIDE OF SÉDHIOU - Cesie

HEALTH
INTRODUCTION: THE HEALTH SYSTEM IN
SENEGAL
The health system in Senegal is called "health pyramid". The
top of the pyramid is made up of research centres (e.g.
Universities). The second step of the pyramid is the regional
level, with regional hospitals. Each region (there are fourteen
regions in Senegal) should have a hospital. In the case of
Sédhiou, there is not this sort of hospital yet, because Sédhiou
became a region only in the end of 2008, being a department
until that moment.
If we go down along the pyramid we find health districts,
made of health centres and postes de santé, which consitute
the regional level of the senegalese health system.
The Postes de Santé were created to decentralize health
assistance. In fact, especially in rural areas, hospitals are
widely dispersed. Their main tasks are:
first cares, in particular the realisation of the vaccination
programme, addressed especially to children under age
one;
consultations for first cures (in particular concerning
health reproduction)
consultations before and after delivery, sensitizations.
They are led by the "chefs de Poste" nurses, who are public
servants or contractulised. They are assisted by
communitarian personnel paid by health committees (district
level). Personal employees are matrons, women volunteers
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