Wealth into Health: Developing Innovative Healthcare Financing Methods in Sikoroni, Mali

Vital Stats

Devon G

  • people helped60000
  • People Doing It 4

The Problem

In slums like Sikoroni, on the edge of Bamako, Mali, most residents cannot afford the cost of health care—instead they delay visiting the doctor when they fall sick, hoping their illness will pass, or seek out unlicensed medicine from roadside stands. The negative impacts are horrific: my colleague Oumou has had 17 pregnancies, but only 4 living children! Reducing the cost of health care is not easy here as local clinics rely on patient fees to cover up to 80% of their costs. But what if we could develop a new way to fund clinic costs and reduce the cost of health care for patients? An innovative financing system would have an immense impact on access to care in communities where disease and death are always present.

Plan of Action

Since October 2008, our Malian-American team has been conducting an intensive research program. We have interviewed local health and development organizations, conducted focus groups in Sikoroni on the subject of health financing, calculated the cost of running an average clinic, developed a wealth-ranking and healthcare access survey, and brainstormed health financing options with our locally-elected oversight committee. Our research process is not glamorous, but without we would not be able to design a locally-appropriate and successful health funding project. Our pilot program will involve over 1000 slum residents and the final program will serve all of the residents of Sikoroni, over 60,000 people.
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Physical and Mental Health
Human Rights
Homelessness and Poverty

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