Dakar, Dec 28 (APS) – Health news in 2024 was marked by the debate on pharmaceutical sovereignty, the threat of the Mpox epidemic, the new STEPS survey on non-communicable diseases and repeated strikes in the health sector.
Senegal has set itself the objective of achieving pharmaceutical sovereignty by 2035, by producing 50% of its needs in this area.
In this wake, the Ministry of Health set up the Delivery Unit (DU), responsible for reviving the pharmaceutical industry
The desire of the Senegalese government and promoters of the sector is to achieve production covering 20% of national demand in 2025 and 25% by 2030.
As far as medicine is concerned, Senegal has become the 7the countries to reach WHO Maturity Level 3 (NM3). This level of maturity presents economic challenges given that it will lead to an increase in local production thanks to a favorable regulatory environment, as well as the reduction of dependence on drug imports.
The arrival of a new Minister of Health and Social Action, Ibrahima Sy, on April 5, 2024, coincided with turmoil in the sector. Specialist doctors and interns have gone on strike several times in 2024.
In 2024, Senegal decided to resume a so-called Steps survey. The Steps survey on non-communicable diseases, the second of its kind after 2015, took place from August 4 to 24. This is a risk factor monitoring tool that will allow the country to monitor and evaluate the policies and programs put in place, the trends in risk factors over time and to determine the populations most exposed. to these risk factors.
“STEP wise” is a standardized tool, developed and recommended by the WHO for monitoring the risk factors of non-communicable diseases, as well as their morbidity and mortality.
Like many countries, Senegal experienced the year 2024 under the fear of the epidemic of monkeypox, formerly called Mpox. Declared since August 14, 2024, as an emergency by the WHO (World Health Organization), Senegal has notified 53 suspected cases, which were tested in the laboratory and all returned negative, according to the authorities.
Suspected cases have been noted in 27 health districts across the country since August 14. Since then, the World Health Organization has elevated Mpox to the status of a “public health emergency of international concern”.
Faced with this threat, the Ministry of Health has placed the Senegalese health system on alert by strengthening surveillance and communication.
The year 2024 was also marked by strikes by the Collective of Specialized Physicians (COMES) and the Association of Hospital Interns.
At the heart of the collective’s demands, effective support for DES (specialist state graduates) and their families and the revaluation of the childcare premium, among others.
On November 14, the Ministry of Health and Action, after negotiations, committed to ensuring the effective care of DES and their families and to revaluing the care premium to 15,000 FCFA for working days and 20,000 FCFA for weekends and public holidays per doctor on call.
Likewise, the ministry promised to continue the work of the monitoring committee for the development of a statute dedicated to DES, with the active participation of all stakeholders, particularly concerning the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odontostomatology. from Dakar.
The Association of interns and former interns of hospitals in Senegal (AIAIHS) went on strike to warn of “the persistent difficulties of the boarding school”.
From December 2 to 11, Senegal organized a national preventive vaccination campaign against measles and rubella targeting more than 7 million children aged 9 months to 14 years.
After three living donor kidney transplants carried out in November 2023, a fourth procedure with a living related donor was carried out on July 27, 2024, at the Ouakam military hospital, in Dakar.
The Pasteur Institute of Dakar (IPD), which discovered the yellow fever virus in 1927 and produced the yellow fever vaccine in the 1930s, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024.
The IPD took advantage of this celebration to inaugurate the “Madiba” Vaccinopôle in Diamniadio, in the presence of the Head of State, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
SKS/ADL/OID/ASG
