How does healthcare work in Burkina Faso, and what travel insurance, health insurance or expat insurance do you need?

How does the healthcare system work in Burkina Faso?

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. Life expectancy is low and mortality rates are relatively high. Due to the conflicts in the country, few people have access to healthcare and the quality of healthcare leaves much to be desired.
Healthcare is very limited and medical evacuation is often necessary.
Most healthcare is provided in the cities. Outside the cities, it is difficult to find help.
Healthcare workers usually speak French, but not English. It may therefore be useful to learn a few words of French before moving to Burkina Faso.
The country has both public and private healthcare. Most of it is public.
Traditional healthcare also plays a major role in Burkina Faso. It has even been implemented in regular, public healthcare. However, it is not recommended to use it for critical care.

Public healthcare is not of great quality, but foreigners can use it.
There are eleven regions and 53 health districts. Healthcare is divided into four levels: primary care, district care, regional hospitals and national hospitals. The national facilities are usually located in the cities and offer the best care.
There are more than 2,000 primary care facilities spread throughout the country. These include health promotion centres, medical centres, maternity clinics.
District care consists of 45 medical centres and hospitals that perform operations and provide more specialist care.
There are nine regional hospitals. These are mainly used by patients who cannot be helped in the districts. Operations are performed, midwives, gynaecologists and specialists available.
There is a national hospital and there are five university hospitals where the most extensive care is possible. These hospitals can be found in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso.

Private healthcare is generally better and faster than public healthcare. You are also more likely to find English-speaking staff here. Private healthcare is only available in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso.
The private sector consists of hospitals, healthcare facilities and pharmacies.

Burkina Faso works with a GP system in public healthcare. At primary healthcare institutions you can find GPs who can refer you to specialists, if necessary.
Private healthcare institutions also have GPs that you can consult.
It is not a bad idea to ask for recommendations from other foreigners so that you can find a GP that suits you.

Dental care is not of good quality in Burkina Faso. There are major shortages of staff and facilities and many people have dental problems.
There are private clinics that offer reasonable care. These are usually unaffordable for the local population.
It may be wise to go abroad for dental care. Make sure you are well insured for this.

Infant and maternal mortality rates are high in Burkina Faso and due to the state of healthcare and health problems, it is a risk to spend your pregnancy and delivery in Burkina Faso. Healthcare is available, but probably not of the standard most others are used to.

Although the people are incredibly friendly, Burkina Faso is not a safe country. The risk of terrorism is high, there is a lot of fighting between armed groups and even aid organizations are attacked.
Attacks can take place at any time in all kinds of public places.
Kidnappings are also not uncommon.

There are many diseases in Burkina Faso, including mosquito-borne diseases such as yellow fever, malaria and dengue. There are many cases of HIV/AIDS.
Infectious diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, measles, tuberculosis and parasites are also not uncommon. So make sure you only drink boiled water, avoid ice cubes and only eat well-prepared food.
It is also better not to swim in freshwater.

Most expats travel with their own car (and driver), but roads are not safe, many people are attacked by armed groups.
Only a small part of the roads are paved, especially around the cities.
There is a train that lives via the four major cities of the country and there is an international airport. Furthermore, there is little public transport.

Is the trip to Burkina Faso and your return sufficiently covered? Are you sufficiently covered before, during and after your activities? Which insurance best suits your trip and your activity? Read more about insurances for abroad on JoHoinsurances.org.

In most cases in Burkina Faso, you will need health insurance for a visa application, but apart from that, good international health insurance is very important because of the high risk of medical evacuation and the high costs of private care.
So make sure your insurance covers medical evacuation as well as coverage in neighboring countries. Read more about insurances for abroad on Expatinsurances.org.

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