President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani on Thursday launched services at 18 new health centres built under the emergency programme for the development of Nouakchott, "Nouakchott 1", and laid the foundation stone for the health component of the programme's second phase, "Nouakchott 2".
The Ministry of Health said the opening of these centres crowns the programme's first phase, which covered the construction, rehabilitation and equipping of 28 health facilities across the capital's nine moughataas and the conversion of all health posts into health centres, in order to strengthen primary health coverage, bring services closer to citizens and improve the reception and care of patients.
According to figures published by the ministry, the 28 health centres are spread across Nouakchott's three wilayas: 11 in Nouakchott North, in the moughataas of Dar Naim, Teyarett and Toujounine; 7 in Nouakchott West, across Ksar, Sebkha and Tevragh Zeina; and 10 in Nouakchott South, in the moughataas of Arafat, El Mina and Riyadh.
The ministry added that five more health centres are due to enter service in the coming weeks, with the remaining centres to be fully operational before early 2027.
According to the same source, the facilities offer a wide range of services, including emergencies, specialist and outpatient consultations, minor surgery, maternal and child health, deliveries, vaccination and nutrition, as well as laboratory tests, radiology, electrocardiograms, ultrasound, dentistry, in-house pharmacies, and booking, information and awareness services.
The centres also host representative offices of the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) and the National Health Solidarity Fund (CNASS), so that citizens can use health insurance services inside the facilities.
On staffing, the Ministry of Health said about 700 health workers have been assigned to run the centres, including 290 social nurses, 194 midwives, 82 state nurses, 57 senior technicians and 39 general practitioners, in addition to specialist doctors, support staff and other categories involved in managing and operating the facilities.
The health component of the programme's second phase, "Nouakchott 2", aims, according to the ministry, to develop hospital services and strengthen the capacity of national hospitals to care for critical cases and illnesses requiring specialist services.
It includes building and equipping emergency departments at five hospitals - the National Hospital Centre, the Friendship Hospital Centre, the Sheikh Zayed Hospital Centre, the Mother and Child Hospital Centre and the National Cardiology Centre - as well as expanding and equipping intensive care units.
It also includes the creation of the first level-three maternity unit, the first unit specialised in treating severe burns and the first unit for addiction care, as well as three new dialysis centres with an additional capacity of 100 beds.
The ministry stressed that the programme's components, across both phases, aim to expand primary health coverage and bring services closer to citizens while strengthening the capacity of hospitals and specialist institutions, helping to improve access to healthcare and the quality of patient care.
