KEY 2021 MEDICAL FIGURES:
890,100
outpatient consultations
490,800
malaria cases treated
6,500
people treated for sexual violence
In 2021, Central African Republic was plagued by fighting between government forces and armed opposition groups, which displaced hundreds of thousands of people. It became increasingly difficult for MSF and other humanitarian organizations to provide assistance, particularly in remote rural areas.
Nonetheless, we continued to run 13 basic and specialist healthcare projects, focusing on maternal and child health, surgery, treatment for HIV and tuberculosis and responding to outbreaks of disease, with almost all our programs offering treatment for sexual violence. We also ran various emergency responses and assisted people affected by conflict.
In Bangassou, where MSF supports the Regional University hospital, more than 1,000 people arrived seeking shelter following attacks by armed groups in January. Another 10,000 people fled to Democratic Republic of Congo, where we increased our support to a local health centre. That same month, 8,000 people fled fighting in Bouar to seek shelter in a cathedral and makeshift camps, where MSF provided basic healthcare, as well as water and sanitation.
Landmines, improvised explosive devices and attacks on civilians and medical facilities hampered access to healthcare across the country, including in Bocaranga, where our emergency team assisted survivors of sexual violence, administered routine vaccinations and improved the provision of water and sanitation. To ensure continuity of care for people with HIV, we implemented a community-based model of care for patients in places including Carnot, Bossangoa, Boguila, Bambari and Zémio.
In the capital, Bangui, MSF’s trauma surgery hospital frequently received patients referred from other provinces requiring emergency and longer-term surgical care. While maintaining our maternal health program, we also worked on rehabilitating the emergency obstetric and newborn care units of one of the capital’s main public health facilities – crucial in a country where few women have access to free, quality care during pregnancy and childbirth outside of MSF-supported facilities.
