Community Engagement Day at ASACOS, Bamako – Mali
On 19 January 2019, in Bamako, Mali, DELGEME, in partnership with the Community Health Association (ASACOS) organized the 2nd edition of a day of free consultations in gynecology, cardiology, neurology, diabetes, malaria and general medicine. The goal was to engage the public to take an interest in science. This second edition was an opportunity for DELGEME to talk to the population about a misunderstanding concerning the cost of medical treatment according to whether they address a community health center (CSCOM) or a research center. This community engagement action was an opportunity to explain the respective roles of the medical researcher (the one who works in a research center) and the physician (the one who works in the CSCOM).
This operation took place in the presence of DELGEME’s Director, Pr. Abdoulaye Djimdé, DELGEME students and the media.
In Mali, the most widespread disease remains malaria. The DELGEME project whose fundamental mission is to eliminate this scourge has therefore initiated, in collaboration with the physicians of Sotuba, on the outskirts of Bamako, and the media, this operation of free consultations. The cost of the care they provided to patients was covered by the DELGEME.
The results obtained at the end of this day:
This day enabled more than 882 consultations, including 272 in general medicine, 50 in gynecology, 72 in cardiology, 45 in neurology, 68 in diabetology, 305 in malaria, 70 in ophthalmology.
The patients contributed to the smooth running of this day, which constituted a new action allowing a better integration of the DELGEME project in the Malian health system.
