Salimata Coulibaly took her 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter, who was sick, to the urban health center of Dimbékaha, in the Katiola department. The child was diagnosed with malaria. From the diagnosis to the medication, Salimata didn’t have to pay a single franc.

“The doctors did the blood tests, gave me malaria medication, and also a treated mosquito net,” she told us.

In public hospitals across the country, the targeted free healthcare program is a reality for children aged 0 to 5 suffering from malaria, and for pregnant women.

“My wife gave birth at this health center for free. The free care is a real relief for us,” said Hervé Coulibaly.

The targeted free healthcare program provides specific medical services and treatments to pregnant women during prenatal and postnatal consultations, deliveries and delivery complications. It also benefits children aged 0 to 5 suffering from malaria, anemia, acute respiratory infections, and diarrheal diseases.

Thanks to the Government Social Program (PSGouv2), from 2023 to June 2024, a total of 507,949 malaria cases were treated for free among pregnant women, and 4,096,400 malaria cases were treated among children aged 0 to 5 across the national territory.

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