The “Millionnaire Extension” health center in the area of the Institut des aveugles in the commune of Yopougon was inaugurated on July 19, 2024 by the mayor of the commune of Yopougon, Adama Bictogo, who is also President of the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire, accompanied by the representative of the Swiss Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, Léo Tremblay.

After this act, the opening of this building, which will take place on Monday July 22, is part of the twinning between the Yopougon town hall and the canton of Basel in Switzerland, with a view to meeting the needs of the local population and improving their access to local healthcare and well-being.

Built over an area of 2,000 m2, the project was 66% financed by Yopougon town council, with the remainder provided by the Canton of Basel, Switzerland, in conjunction with the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques de Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS) and Novartis.

It has 16 rooms, including 4 for the maternity ward and 4 for the dispensary, with departments for general medicine, pharmacy, pediatrics, maternity, dentistry, ultrasound, the clinical research unit and the quality unit.

The mayor of Yopougon, Adama Bictogo, said that by participating in this project, he intended to improve access to health care for the people of Yopougon, by building first-contact health facilities in several areas of his commune, while also combating the sickle cell disease.

To mark the occasion, he offered the sum of 3 million FCFA as cash on hand for the rapid start-up of hostilities in this health center by the beginning of next week.

I'd already like to express my satisfaction and joy, because I was at the laying of the foundation stone as a candidate for mayor of Yopougon. Today I'm here as mayor of Yopougon. You know, the great thing in life is to dream and achieve. I took part in the dream with the high representative, former mayor Koné Glibert Kafana, by coming to lay the first stone. Today, that dream has come true, to the delight of the people of Yopougon. I'm just a happy mayor, because this building makes the people of Yopougon happy. But I would like to point out that this health center is part of a vast program of health policy for all, in line with the vision of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Alassane Ouattara. This health center is part of the program implemented by Minister Dimba Pierre. As you know, health is the key to reducing poverty (...)” said Adama Bictogo.

Alongside him, the representative of the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, Dr Koffi Aka Charles, conveyed Minister Dimba Pierre's wish to support sickle cell disease sufferers and promote access to essential care.

In his speech, the health minister's envoy revealed that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the rate of chronic non-transmissible diseases is high, including sickle cell disease, which is responsible for 35 million deaths worldwide each year.

With these results, according to him, “there are 500,000 births a year with major forms, including 200,000 deaths, and more than 66% of people infected with this disease in Africa, where almost 1,000 children are born every day”, he revealed.

In view of these exorbitant rates, which result in people not being cared for, and in the absence of early and appropriate treatment, Dr. Aka Koffi urged the various populations, including doctors, to treat patients appropriately.

As for the representative of the Swiss Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire and the Canton of Balle, Chargé d'Affaires Léo Tremblay, he said he was delighted to be taking part in this project to help the people of Côte d'Ivoire.

He promised to intensify agreements between the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, which is the linchpin of this partnership, and to strengthen relations between the Yopougon and Balle town halls.

AE/Abidjan.net