Community health: 37.8 billion FCFA to lift stakeholders out of poverty

Senegal plans to allocate 37.8 billion CFA francs over five years to reform its national community health policy. Behind this funding lies a major ambition: to professionalize community health workers, improve their working conditions, and adapt primary care to new health challenges. But the announced transformation must above all translate into sustainable resources on the ground.

After more than forty years of experience, Senegal's community health model is set to reinvent itself. And the task is considerable. The projected cost of the reform is estimated at 37.8 billion CFA francs over five years, or an average of 7.56 billion per year. This figure was presented on Thursday, November 5, 2026, during an orientation day organized by the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene for journalists.

The focus is on the numerous weaknesses of a system that relies on workers often facing precarious situations: a lack of clearly established legal status, irregular pay, insufficient social protection, and limited career prospects. The reform aims to address this situation through certified and degree-granting training programs, improved professional recognition, and a defined legal framework and remuneration for their responsibilities.

The stakes are also high in terms of public health. Faced with the rise in non-communicable diseases, particularly diabetes and hypertension, as well as mental health issues and the consequences of climate change, the roles of community actors will need to be expanded and adapted to the needs of the population. The project also includes plans for improved coordination of interventions, increased availability of medicines and supplies, and enhanced digital monitoring, notably through the DHIS2 platform.

Another major challenge is reducing the heavy reliance on technical and financial partners. To achieve this, the reform includes the creation of a dedicated budget line for community health, ensuring more sovereign and sustainable funding. Its implementation will be phased in, starting with pilot regions before being rolled out nationwide.

The challenge now is to translate these ambitions into concrete financial commitments. Behind the projected 37.8 billion FCFA, there are healthcare workers awaiting professional recognition, communities in need of medication, and populations for whom local healthcare is sometimes the first line of defense. The true cost of inaction could ultimately be far greater than that of this reform.