Work

Strengthening hospital infrastructure in a war context: the case of the Mopti regional hospital

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In sub-Saharan Africa, public hospitals should play a key role in providing quality, affordable health care and contribute to robust health systems, particularly in war-torn contexts. In Mali, a multidimensional crisis has had a severe impact on the health of the people and on the overall health infrastructure and its capacity to respond to the crisis. Public hospitals suffer from multiple long-standing constraints that are rendered even more acute in the context of war. This paper presents governmental, development, and humanitarian efforts and interventions aimed at strengthening hospital infrastructure in Mopti, central Mali. Three key dimensions of hospital infrastructure are fundamental to ongoing operations: human resources, governance, and equipment/maintenance. The results revealed two approaches to strengthening hospital infrastructure: a developmental approach, aimed at constructing new buildings and implementing hospital autonomy-oriented reforms, and a pragmatic approach that focuses more on concrete solutions to the most urgent needs. The insights presented here argue for stronger linkages between these two approaches to reinforce the everyday functionality of health care infrastructures in destabilized contexts. Hospitals such as the Mopti hospital in Northern Mali endure severe challenges in a war context: general decline in health indicators, war injuries, and material and human resources are acute constraints. Two approaches to strengthening hospital infrastructure in the Mopti region can be identified. A developmental prioritizing construction and structural reform and a pragmatic and humanitarian approach, attending to most urgent medical and surgical needs. International mechanisms should be put in place to protect and support health infrastructures during conflicts.

Source: Globalization and Health

DOI: 10.1186/s12992-025-01149-w

Authors: Fanny Chabrol, Pierre Coulibaly, Abdourahmane Coulibaly

Institutions: Inserm, Université Paris Cité, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Bamako

Language: English

Topic: Health and Conflict Studies

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,190