President of the Republic: We appreciate the Sacrifices of Medical Staff and are working to Build a Comprehensive Health System

His Excellency, the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, praised the great sacrifices and great efforts made by health teams throughout the national territory in order to provide health care and meet hospital needs.

Chairing an Iftar banquet in honor of a group of medical staff working in health institutions in the three wilayas of Nouakchott, His Excellency said Tuesday evening at the National Medical Center in Nouakchott that the provision of health services and improving their quality, no matter how expensive they are, remain almost non-existent compared to the importance of citizens’ health and preservation.

He stressed that health has a fundamental role in development in its various fields, whether at the level of human resources, or at the economic and social levels.

His Excellency the President of the Republic said that the tragic experience of Covid-19 experienced by the whole world, which our country was able to withstand thanks to the concerted efforts of everyone and the sacrifices of medical staff in general, taught us many lessons, noting in this context the sacrifices of Mauritanian doctors working outside the country who remembered their country during that pandemic and were in contact with the Ministry of Health and medical institutions to help their country in these difficult circumstances.

He added that all citizens contributed to these sacrifices, whether they were politicians or actors in the financial and business fields, considering that what happened at that time was a gift of solidarity that indicated the maturity of our society, whether it is workers in state departments in general, workers in the private sector or for our communities abroad.

In this context, His Excellency recalled the difficult conditions experienced by the national medical teams, which were exposed to many dangers with selflessness, with their remembrance of their oath and their adherence to the noble spirit of their honorable profession, which makes their concern for the patient more than their concern for themselves.

He said that the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the strength of his determination to strengthen and enhance the performance of our health facilities and work to improve health care as a way to build an integrated and comprehensive health system, noting that our country has been able to achieve many achievements in the construction of infrastructure and improving the absorptive capacity of hospital institutions.

His Excellency pointed out that the capacity of hospital facilities has increased by 560 beds, including 150 in Atar Hospital, 150 in Selibaby Hospital and 140 in the expansion of the National Hospital, to which 240 beds will be added soon with the completion of the construction of the hospitals of Tidjikja, Aioun and Aleg.

He added that the necessary medical devices have been acquired, high–quality medicines have been provided, and their transportation methods have been improved by strengthening the emergency medical transport system, which has moved from about 70 cars in 2019 to 270 currently, to which 92 cars will be added this year.

His Excellency the President of the Republic pointed out that among the important achievements in the health sector is facilitating the access of lowest-income citizens to health services by expanding health insurance in a very important way, which enabled the addition of hundreds of thousands of citizens, the majority of whom are the most needy citizens, in addition to the adoption of a law that allows parents, widows and people with special needs to access health insurance, all of which falls within the framework of the government’s efforts to universalize health insurance in 2030.

His Excellency the President of the Republic added that these achievements also include the provision of free reservation in resuscitation and medical transport and the arbitrary cost of pregnant women.

He explained that the acquisition of advanced devices and equipment must be accompanied by qualified human resources with high efficiency and good working conditions, noting in this regard that more than 2,920 individuals from various levels have been subscribed, representing 25% of the total health sector workers.

He added that in this context, and in order to make conditions for health workers better, their wages were doubled by an exceptional special measure, in addition to benefiting from all the increases announced in favor of employees and state agents.

His Excellency the President of the Republic said that he is well aware of the urgent need to achieve more in these various fields, whether it is related to working conditions or the living conditions of individuals responsible for the health of citizens of various levels, stressing his determination to double the work in order to overcome all these obstacles.

He called on the medical staff to be as much as the citizen aspires and hopes from them by doing more to improve his health, ensuring attendance, respecting working hours, responding quickly to the urgent request, being kind in treating patients, and preserving and maintaining equipment and equipment to sustain and prolong its life.

He expressed his great thanks and appreciation to all our health teams throughout the country, and his happiness to share this Iftar with them in the last ten days of Ramadan, warning that it will help them in everything that would contribute to improving the quality of our health system.