In Niaguis, in the Ziguinchor department, the need for a health center remains a vital and urgent priority. This appeal was reiterated on Saturday during the handover of medical equipment intended to improve healthcare services for the population in the various facilities within the municipality.

Needs expressed and met

This increase in medical equipment responds to a direct request from healthcare workers. Siré Diédhiou Diaïté Thiam, head nurse at the Niaguis health post, welcomes this donation: “We needed this equipment. We ourselves expressed these needs through the town hall's health committee. Today, we received it, and it will greatly help us in our work.”

She invites the population to take ownership of this fight to improve healthcare conditions, while also commending the efforts of the municipality.

A shared emergency

From the healthcare workers' perspective, the grievance is clear: to address the lack of resources to better cope with common illnesses such as infectious diseases, the flu, and malaria. For the municipality, health remains an absolute priority. "Health is the foundation of everything. We fight every day to ensure that no one living in Niaguis is left behind," affirms Mayor Victorine Anquediche Ndeye.

Since 2022, the municipality has multiplied its initiatives: recruiting staff, providing medicines, rehabilitating and closing health posts, making ambulances available, etc. But the need remains immense.

Constant advocacy and collective mobilization

The mayor points out that the construction of a health center falls under the purview of the Ministry of Health, which sets its own criteria. In the meantime, the municipality is working with its resources to fill the gap. "Of course, it's a critical need. It's an appeal we've been making from the start," insists Ms. Ndeye.

Elected officials, healthcare workers, and residents are joining forces: Niaguis needs a health center. In this former rural community where "everything is urgent," health remains the top priority. Since 2022, this plea has been relentlessly made, awaiting a concrete response from the health authorities.