Maternal mortality in rural senegal. the experience of the New Ninéfescha Hospital

Mortality decline is often attributed to improvements in the quantity and quality of healthcare services. These services are still very inadequate in sub-Saharan Africa and mortality levels in the region remain among the highest in the world. Is an increase in healthcare supply the most effective means to improve healthcare access and speed up the mortality decline? Almamy Malick KANTÉ and Gilles PISON address this question by examining the impact of a modern new hospital on behaviours in an isolated rural area of Senegal. Four years after the hospital's opening, they fi nd little change in health-seeking practices. Women rarely use the hospital for antenatal consultations or childbirth, and maternal mortality remains high. For the authors, this case illustrates the mismatch between the hospital services on offer and the actual needs of the population.