Distressed by the high maternal and neonatal mortality rate, Issa Cissokho, a gold miner, is building a state-of-the-art hospital in his homeland. Located more than 250 km from Tambacounda, the regional capital, and more than 300 km from Bakel, Soréto is a village rich in gold deposits where thousands of gold miners of various nationalities wake up every morning.

Here, the problem that had always plagued the daily lives of the inhabitants was the glaring lack of healthcare infrastructure. This forced them to regularly travel to neighboring Mali or to other towns like Kedougou or Tambacounda, despite the poor condition of the roads, to access healthcare.

Distressed by this dire situation, gold miner Issa Cissokho, a local son, built and equipped the health post in Soréto to alleviate the suffering of his fellow villagers. Just a few months ago, the village faced enormous difficulties accessing even the most basic healthcare. This situation was reportedly the cause of numerous deaths, especially among pregnant women, during medical evacuations to Tambacounda, Kédougou, or even Mali, via the crossing of the Falémé River.

This is what motivated gold miner Issa Cissokho to build and equip a state-of-the-art healthcare facility on the land where he was born and raised, with one goal in mind: "To succeed and invest in his own community." The results have lived up to the initial promise, explains Issa Cissokho: "Personally, I had to transport sick people on carts, motorcycles, and tricycles. Some died, others lost their babies during childbirth halfway to evacuation, deep in the forest, at the mercy of the bumpy roads. I was deeply saddened to see these men, women, and children die for lack of resources." "This has been the daily struggle and thank God, thanks to the supreme will and with the help of my parents, my close collaborators, I have succeeded in building this fully equipped hospital," he said at the closing ceremony of the campaign to fight cervical and breast cancer, this Saturday in Kidira, of which he was the patron.

When questioned about the overall cost of this immense investment, the man modestly declined to elaborate. The health center, now publicly owned, includes a consultation room, inpatient wards, injection rooms, a fully equipped pharmacy and storage area, a waiting room for visitors, restrooms, a maternity ward, and staff housing, which he generously donated to the state. The facility is also powered by solar energy, which drives a water tower located on the center's grounds.

The president of the Bakel Departmental Council, Mapathé Sy, the sub-prefects of Bélé and Kenieba congratulated the generous donor before wishing him more abundance so that this blessed land of Soréto can prosper even more.

The occasion was also a good opportunity for the administrative and territorial authorities to call on their brothers from all over the area to join forces and lift the people out of the abyss of isolation and poverty… Mapathé Sy did not fail to ask the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to raise the generous donor to the rank of the Order of Merit, on the occasion of the next Independence Day.

On behalf of the health authorities, the chief medical officer of the Kidira health district, Saliou Gningue, stated that this gem "will remove a major obstacle from the people's lives that has long caused the deaths of many patients."

It should be noted that the donor also provided a fully equipped ambulance and a CT scanner, which is expected to arrive in the coming days. A delegation from neighboring villages also expressed their gratitude for the donation, as did the student spokesperson, Kécouta Macalou.