Senegal has declared a state of emergency and established a curfew from 8pm to 6am. The authorities then closed the air and land borders (except for freighters), banned gatherings, demonstrations and transport, and there was a temporary closure of public places (schools, universities, places of worship, etc.), as well as the introduction of social distancing. Wearing a mask has become compulsory. SRH represents a major
public health issue in times of epidemics because women and girls can be more exposed. It is essential that we continue to offer services for treating infections and for family planning follow-ups, pregnancy and childbirth. As such, our clinics are still functional. At one of our clinics in Dakar, there is a drop in attendance – before the pandemic we were getting 150 to 160 patients per day, now we get about 100. In Saint Louis, the clinic usually receives 1,400 patients per month but that was down to 1,200 in April. The clinics of Louga and Kold have seen a drastic drop of more than 60%. It’s probably because many of our clients (mainly women) live in rural areas and can’t travel because of the restrictions imposed by the government. What kind of services do you provide, and which ones have been worst hit? We are continuing to raise awareness about reproductive sexual
health especially for key populations through radio programmes and home visits.Mobile clinics, which provide free consultations and family planning etc. are no longer allowed by the
health authorities. This reduces access to
health care for the most disadvantaged populations.
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