The hopes raised by the opening of the operating room at the Kédougou District Health Center are slow to materialize. Despite the availability of medical staff—surgeons, gynecologists, and anesthesiologists—technical obstacles are still hampering the effective start of surgical procedures.

The main problem remains an oxygen leak that is preventing the operating room from being operational. "We have held several meetings with the Regional Health Directorate. Instructions have been given, but so far nothing has changed," explains Abdoulaye Barro, executive secretary of the health center.

In the meantime, patients have no choice but to be referred to the often-used Amath Dansokho Regional Hospital, at the cost of long journeys and additional costs.

"Our goal is to provide low-cost care. Every day, residents come to me asking when the operating room will finally be operational, but unfortunately, I have no answer to give them," Mr. Barro bitterly confides.

An urgent appeal to the authorities

Healthcare professionals in Kédougou hoped that the establishment of the operating room would significantly relieve the burden on the local population. But the current situation is hampering this ambition. "We have the human skills, we have the patients. All that's missing is the technical and administrative will to take the plunge," laments a CDS doctor, who requested anonymity.

On the users' side, frustration is palpable. Mariama Diallo, a mother we met at the health center, testified: "I had to transfer my sister to the regional hospital for an operation. It cost us time and a lot of money. If the operating room had been functional, we wouldn't have experienced this suffering."

The Kédougou operating room is seen as a strategic tool for bringing healthcare closer to the population. But as long as maintenance problems persist, this hope remains suspended.

While awaiting a definitive solution, the Kédouvins continue to suffer the consequences, between incessant transfers and additional expenses. "We appeal to the health and political authorities to resolve this problem quickly. The health and dignity of the people of Kédougou are at stake," pleads Abdoulaye Barro.