For the first time since its commissioning in 2002, the Centre Hospitalier Régional (CHR) de Kolda welcomed a neurosurgeon on Tuesday. An announcement welcomed by the local populations, relieved to see a wait of more than two decades come to fruition. The information was made official by a note from the regional directorate of the CHR, confirming the takeover of Dr Naténing Doumbya, a neurosurgeon by training, now assigned to the establishment. This recruitment is to fill a vacancy in the offer of specialized care in the south of Senegal. Inaugurated with great pomp in May 2002, the CHR de Kolda had nevertheless benefited from a colossal investment of 6 billion CFA francs. However, despite its status as a reference hospital in the region, the lack of specialists, particularly in neurosurgery, considerably limited its capacity. Until now, patients suffering from neurological pathologies – such as head trauma, brain tumours, herniated discs, etc. – had to be transferred to Ziguinchor or Dakar, at the cost of long medical evacuations, often out of reach for modest families. Les habitants du Fouladou et ses environs can finally believe in a more equitable access to care, without having to cross hundreds of kilometres.
Kolda: After 23 years of waiting, the regional hospital finally welcomes a neurosurgeon
