A mixture of Western-style and traditional medicine

A well-developed system of healthcare was established in Ivory Coast, including large hospitals and a network of clinics at Abidjan, Bouaké, Daloa and Korhogo.

However, the 2002 civil war brought severe disruption to services, particularly in northern regions. Health professionals left the country and Ivory Coast now has a severe shortage of trained medical staff.

Free healthcare was introduced in Ivory Coast after the most recent period of unrest. However, hospitals, doctors and dentists struggled to cope with the huge demand. Free services are now available just to mothers and children under six.

Medicines remain costly and in short supply and many people turn to traditional forms of healing, particularly in rural areas.

The threat of disease

As elsewhere in this region of Africa, diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis are a constant threat. And around 380,000 adults (over 3% of the adult population) and 70,000 children are infected with HIV/AIDS.

With greater awareness of how HIV/AIDS is spread and the use of drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission, the rate of new infections has decreased by more than 25% over the last decade. And more than 70,000 people are receiving antiretroviral therapy.  However, this represents coverage of less than a third of adults who require treatment and only 15% of children (based on the 2010 WHO guidelines).

Poverty and malnutrition

With many farmers affected by low rates of return on their produce and fluctuating global prices for commodities like cocoa and coffee, poverty is a major problem in Ivory Coast.  Around a quarter of the country’s people live on less than a dollar a day.

The number of stunted children has grown in the last decade to over 40% of under-fives, as many Ivorians struggle to feed their families.

Violence following the disputed election of 2010 has further affected livelihoods, with many farmers unable to sell their produce during this period.