Mali – Inauguration of the first sickle cell treatment satellite unit
06/03/2016
The new patient care facility, located at the regional hospital in Kayes, provides improved care options for patients living in this area, which is far from the capital.
The Fondation Pierre Fabre, partnering with the CRLD in Bamako, has supported the creation of this patient care unit.
On 23 April, Dr Marie-Madeleine Togo, Mali’s Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, officially opened the sickle-cell treatment satellite unit in Kayes, Mali, in the presence of several key figures, including Prof Dapa Diallo, Director of the Research Centre to Combat Sickle Cell Disease (CRLD) in Bamako. This care centre, located on the grounds of the regional hospital, includes a reception area for patients and their families, consultation rooms and an outpatient clinic with 10 beds, four for adults, six for children.
In her opening speech, the Minister thanked the Fondation Pierre Fabre for creating the Kayes facility. Stating that the centre’s creation was “another step forward in the effective and coordinated management of the disease across the country,” she stressed that this unit now made it possible for all patients in the region to receive appropriate treatment and monitoring of their illness.
Providing sickle cell patients with local healthcare options
Between 5,000 and 6,000 children in Mali are born with this disease each year. Until now, it has mainly been the CRLD Bamako handling patient care, with more than a thousand new cases logged annually. At present, the Kayes region, 600 kilometres from Bamako, has one of the highest prevalence rates of the disease in the country, with 15.6% having the sickle-cell trait. In light of the difficulties faced by the region’s patients, having to travel to Bamako to seek treatment, the CRLD and the Fondation Pierre Fabre took action. The Foundation financed the construction, equipment and drug supplies for the first satellite care unit at the Fousseyni Daou regional hospital, while the CRLD established care protocols and will train hospital medical staff posted at this facility. This training, by virtue of skills transfer, means the CRLD can now boast of having experience on a sub-regional scale.
Here is the exclusive report aired on Malian television about the facility’s official opening:
