Health in Senegal - History

History

As is the case in the rest of the African continent, the Senegalese have long used, and continue to use, traditional medicines and rely on traditional healers for medical ailments. However, in 1905, France laid the foundation for health policy in the area, though primarily to serve the French and not the native Senegalese. Later in 1905, Medical Assistance for the Indigenous was created. It was responsible for providing free medical care and health advice to indigenous peoples, promoting immunization, and promoting maternal and child health. Then, after the Second World War, the international public opinion became more critical of colonial policy, and priorities became refocused on child health. Comprehensive programs were put in place to fight against major diseases. Since its independence from France, and from the Gambia and Mali, Senegal has become more involved in major international programs for development and health. Today, access to health care remains very uneven across regions and between different income levels.

Read more about this topic:  Health In Senegal

Famous quotes containing the word history:

    The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present. History is a hill or high point of vantage, from which alone men see the town in which they live or the age in which they are living.
    Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)

    It is true that this man was nothing but an elemental force in motion, directed and rendered more effective by extreme cunning and by a relentless tactical clairvoyance .... Hitler was history in its purest form.
    Albert Camus (1913–1960)

    As I am, so shall I associate, and so shall I act; Caesar’s history will paint out Caesar.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)