Project profile — Ensuring access to COVID-19 care across Mauritania

The project seeks to support the Mauritanian Ministry of Health to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Project activities include: 1) recruit and train of local health professionals to improve their ability to provide care to COVID-19 patients in underserved regions of Mauritania.

The expected results of the project include: 1) decreased COVID-19 related mortality and morbidity of populations, especially for those experiencing marginalization or vulnerability; 2) increased equitable coverage of public health care services for people infected with COVID-19; 3) improved capacity of local health authorities to diagnose and treat COVID -19 infection; 4) increased equitable availability of COVID-19 health equipment and kits at public and health facilities.

Results achieved at the end of the project (December 2023) include: (1) capacity building, through practical and theoretical training, on the Mauritanian site; (2) adoption of improved emergency and critical care skills for trained staff; (3) trained 55 people out of a target of 200-300 caregivers; (4) made bronchial endoscopy available in Mauritania. This means that Mauritanians no longer have to travel to the sub-regions for a routine procedure; (5) bronchial tumor diagnostics and decontamination procedures are now available at the patient's intensive care unit; and (6) care for patients requiring critical care is optimized and organized in dedicated units, notably at Ben Zayed Hospital in Nouakchott, which is the reference center in this field.