The Director General of the Senegalese Agency for Universal Health Coverage (SEN-CSU) was the host this Tuesday of parliamentarians who are members of the Health, Finance, Education and Law Committees, to talk about the UHC program in Senegal.

Dr. El Hadji Séga GUÈYE and his technical team have indeed presented in depth the progress of the program, the ongoing enrollment campaign, its impact on the population, but also its challenges and prospects.

At the initiative of the NGO International Budget Partnership (IBP), this meeting allowed SEN-CSU to raise awareness among parliamentarians about the current issues of financing the CSU program and its sustainability.

Fortunately, members of parliament seem to be aware of the need to support the SEN-CSU and its new momentum. Indeed, many of them welcomed this new version of the program and the enthusiasm it has generated among the Senegalese population. According to the Honorable Member of Parliament Boye Baby, Secretary General of the Health, Population, Social Affairs, and National Solidarity Committee, the CSU program is restoring Senegalese people's hope of accessing healthcare without major difficulties. " We are pleased to see this renewed confidence among the population and are delighted by the enrollment campaigns observed throughout the country. This proves that the new Director General is on the right track, and we encourage him to continue in this direction ," she stated.

His colleague from the Education/Youth and Regional Planning Committee, Honorable Oumar Sy, echoed this sentiment, stating that Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a program that should be implemented throughout Senegal, reaching even the most remote areas, to further facilitate access to healthcare for the population. " It's a noble program, but its communication needs improvement, because however important it may be, if the people don't understand it properly, our efforts will be in vain ," he added.

But beyond the assessments and contributions, many questions were raised by parliamentarians, particularly regarding the challenges of managing chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney failure. In this regard, they promised the SEN-CSU that they would advocate for a larger budget to enable it to meet its numerous challenges.

Regarding kidney failure, the Director General of SEN-CSU reassured parliamentarians that kidney transplants would be free for donor-recipient couples. He noted that in 2025, three donor couples received free treatment, and that a budget allocation has been set aside for this year as well to assist eligible donor couples.

Mr. Djibril Serigne Touba Badiane, Director of Programs at IBP Senegal and initiator of the activity, welcomed the interest shown by parliamentarians in the CSU program. He emphasized that this exercise allows for a significant and measurable leap forward in the transparency and accountability of public finances, to the benefit of all citizens.