Promotion of Maternal and Neonatal Health: Côte d’Ivoire Reaffirms Its Commitment to the Mother-Child Duo -

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This year, in Côte d’Ivoire, the celebration of World Health Day coincided with the official launch of a major vaccination campaign aimed at eradicating cervical cancer.

Efforts are underway in Côte d’Ivoire to strengthen services dedicated to mothers and children. The country has adopted an ambitious program to invest in infrastructure, human resources, and the implementation of targeted strategies and interventions.

On April 7, the international community celebrated World Health Day. This occasion marked the launch of a campaign focused on maternal and neonatal health. The campaign, titled “Good health at birth for a hopeful future,” will run for a year and calls on countries to accelerate efforts to end preventable maternal and neonatal deaths, while prioritizing women’s long-term health and well-being.

Côte d’Ivoire is already actively working toward this goal. Pregnant women and children aged 0 to 5 receive special attention. In fact, the government’s policy of targeted free healthcare in both urban and rural areas reflects its ambition to eliminate preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. This targeted free care is a key initiative within the Government’s Social Program. From 2023 to June 2024, 4,096,400 cases of malaria in children and 507,949 cases in pregnant women were treated free of charge. This has been a great relief for many families. “My wife gave birth in this health center without paying anything. Free care is a real relief,” said Hervé Coulibaly, whom we met at the Dimbékaha health center in Katiola. This time, he had come to accompany his sick son. His satisfaction is shared by Salimata Coulibaly, whose daughter was also treated free of charge for malaria.

This year, World Health Day also marked the official launch of a large-scale vaccination campaign to eradicate cervical cancer through an innovative multi-age approach, reaffirming the government’s commitment to offering a brighter future to girls and women. More than 3 million girls aged 9 to 18 were targeted for vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV)—the primary cause of cervical cancer.

The prevention of cervical cancer is another major initiative, with the HPV vaccine now included in the Expanded Immunization Program, targeting girls aged 9 to 14.

Côte d’Ivoire continues to reaffirm its determination to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for women. Numerous health indicators have shown improvement: maternal mortality has decreased by 38%, from 614 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2012 to 385 in 2021. As part of the “Hospital Program” launched in 2018—Côte d’Ivoire’s largest ever health sector investment—26 maternity wards will be equipped with obstetric operating rooms for Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEmONC) by the end of 2024. The percentage of births attended by qualified personnel increased from 59% in 2012 to 84% in 2021, and the C-section rate rose from 2.7% in 2012 to 9% in 2021.

In the area of family planning, 452 million contraceptive products were distributed in 2023, raising the contraceptive prevalence rate from 12.9% in 2012 to 25% in 2024.

This celebration has once again allowed Côte d’Ivoire to reaffirm its unwavering commitment to improving maternal and child health indicators through the construction of new infrastructure and the strengthening of existing programs, ensuring that every woman has access to quality care.