UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE: More than 6,000 insurance cards distributed to students and staff of the University of Sine Saloum

The Senegalese Agency for Universal Health Coverage (SEN-CSU) took another major step yesterday, Wednesday, May 13, in Fatick, towards enabling every Senegalese person without health coverage to have an insurance card for their medical care.

Indeed, the Secretary General of the SEN-CSU, Matar TRAORÉ, officially handed over to the Director of the Regional Centre for University Social Works of Sine Saloum (CROUS – SS), Mr. Jean Birame GNING, a batch of more than 6000 insured cards for students of the University of Sine Saloum El Hadji Ibrahim NIASS (USSEIN) as well as to administrative and technical staff and their beneficiaries.

The handover ceremony was presided over by the Deputy Governor of Fatick, Mr. Dominique Coumba Ndoffène DIOUF, in the presence of the beneficiaries and several other academic and medical authorities from the region.

According to the Deputy Governor of Fatick, these cards are very timely, especially for beneficiaries whose status does not always guarantee easy access to healthcare. "These cards are welcome in the context of this national enrollment campaign led by SEN-CSU. We therefore urge beneficiaries to use them wisely by respecting all the instructions provided here by the program managers," stated Mr. Diouf.

Regarding these terms of use, the Secretary General of SEN-CSU elaborated at length during his speech. " Let me remind you that membership in the SEN-CSU insurance scheme guarantees cardholders direct coverage of costs related to health services and products at a rate of 80%. You will have access to consultations, treatments, and medications classified as IB at health posts, as well as consultations, outpatient care, tests and certain radiology examinations, hospitalization for up to seven (7) days in the highest category, certain maternity care, certain surgical procedures, and also IB medications, at health centers and hospitals throughout Senegal," stated Matar Traoré.

This news was met with great enthusiasm by student representatives and the administrative and technical staff of USSEIN, who expressed their gratitude to the Director of CROUS-SS, Jean Birame GNING. He enabled USSEIN students and staff to benefit from these national portability cards for a period of one year, renewable.

SEN-CSU, faithful to its mission of guaranteeing every person residing in the national territory, whatever their social situation, protection against the financial risk linked to illness, thus ensuring access to quality health services, is in the process of covering all students in Senegal and administrative and technical staff.

The Director General, Dr El Hadji Séga GUÈYE, thus aims to sign a framework agreement with the Minister of Higher Education and Research, Mr Daouda NGOM, as he has already done with the Ministers of Health, Dr Ibrahima SY, of the Armed Forces, General Birame DIOP and of the Civil Service, Labour and Public Service Reform, Olivier BOUCAL.