Harmonization of Universal Health Coverage: Senegal towards a unified and sustainable healthcare pathway for all households

Getting sick without having to worry about how to pay for treatment: that's the goal of the future integrated national health insurance system. Senegal is actively working to establish a system capable of guaranteeing every citizen a basic level of healthcare, regardless of their income or social status.

A technical workshop was held this Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in Dakar, at the initiative of the Ministry of Family, Social Action and Solidarity, with the strategic support of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank Group. The discussions focused on the development of the integrated information system, financial projections, and, above all, the rigorous modeling of the basic healthcare package.

For Amadou Diaw, the ministry's chief of staff, the objective is to go beyond traditional social security systems that primarily benefit formal sector workers. The aim is to build truly universal coverage, prioritizing the inclusion of the informal sector's working masses.

A minimum level of shared care

The future system aims to streamline and harmonize the various existing social protection mechanisms, particularly those managed by health insurance funds and professional organizations. The key challenge lies in creating a common healthcare package guaranteed by the State, equitably accessible to all citizens across the country.

This harmonization should make it possible to eradicate inequalities in access to medical facilities and to offer consistent social protection, regardless of the insured person's status.

The complex equation of financial sustainability

This major social ambition, however, faces a complex budgetary challenge: ensuring the long-term viability of its funding. The system must be "viable, sustainable, and lasting," Amadou Diaw strongly emphasized during the proceedings.

The strategic challenge will be to find a strict financial balance between the progressive extension of coverage to the population and the constant mobilization of the resources needed to sustainably provide medical services.

In parallel, experts are working on the interoperability of digital platforms and streamlining medical referral processes. The ultimate goal is to guarantee users a seamless, transparent, and interconnected healthcare journey, regardless of the hospital they visit.

The institutional project has officially been launched. Its concrete success will be measured at the community level: in the actual capacity of the system to democratize access to quality medicine, to protect households against the risks of financial insecurity and to drastically reduce direct health expenditures borne by the population.