Senegal, Republic of

Basic Task of the Military Medical Service

The main mission of the Senegalese Military Medical Service is to provide the medical support of Armed Forces and to ensure force health protection at home and abroad, in peacetime and during operations. 

Furthermore, its facilities are opened to the public contributing thus to the national public health coverage.   

As part of its attributions, Senegalese Armed Forces Medical Services should :

• maintain of armed staff in good health by the application of measures of hygiene and prophylaxis
• study and implementation of therapeutic measures suitable to combat
• provide healthcare to military forces and their families

 - ensure centralisation, implementation and distribution of medical supplies and equipment maintenance. 

Structure

The surgeon general on the head of AFMS is under the direct hierarchy of the Chief of Defence Staff.

Infrastructures

14 medical battalion centres

2 Level 1 hospitals: CMIA Sud1 and CMIA/Ziguinchor

1 Level 2 hospital: HMO (Military Hospital de Ouakam)

1 Level 3 hospital: HPD (Hospital Principal de Dakar)

Military medical centres or Battalion medical centres

The military medical service leads 14 military medical centres all over the national territory. They ensure the day-by-day direct medical support to armed forces on national territory (battalion level in the army, air force and the navy) preserving military workforce and providing healthcare to troops and their family members. Also, they are opened to civilian patients.

Military Hospitals

Principal Military Hospital of Dakar

Level 3 Hospital for West African countries economic community. HPD is a Military Training Hospital, founded in 1884 with 336 beds and a high level of the technical platform and several medical and chirurgical specialities are available. 

Used as a training field by the School of Application of the Army Health Service, and the main element of the military hospital network in Dakar, the Principal Hospital in Dakar nevertheless remains a public health establishment that provides a public service mission, including the emergency management, 24 / 7. 

Military Hospital of Ouakam

As a Level 2 hospital HMO is the referral centre for military battalions by providing specialized medical and chirurgical cares to the troops. 

The provision of medical care within the national public health system helps to improve the skills of the military medical staff.

Military Hospital CMIA Sud1

Level 1 facility, planned to be implemented in each military zone. For now, there are two CMIA already functional.

Number of Military Medical Personnel

Staffing of the Military Medical Service

Medical doctors	197
Dentists	32
Pharmacists	21
Veterinasies	11
Administrative Officers	7
Female Officers	20 %
NCO	527

Medical Officers:

SPECIALITIES	EFFECTIVE
Surgery	17
Cardiology	6
ENT	6
Urology	7
Paediatrics	4
Gynaecology	8
Nephrology	2
Rheumatology	1
Dermatology	4
Internal Medicine	6
Anaesthesiology	9
Radiology	8
Gastroenterology	2
Ophthalmology	6
Neurosurgery	2
Psychiatry	6
Pneumology	1
Infectious Diseases	4
Biology	8
Odontology	9
TOTAL	116

Training 

The Military Medical School  

Founded in 1968, delivers military and medical training in collaboration with the Cheikh Anta DIOP University for the cadets (medical doctors, dentists, pharmacists and veterinaries).

The School of Application of the Army Health Service

A post-graduation training military school for doctors, officers, paramedics of the military health service.

Field Deployments

Domestic operations:

1 Advanced Surgical Unit in Ziguinchor (Southern Senegal)

1 Advanced Surgical unit in Kolda (Southern Senegal)

Foreign operations:

Senegalese's military medical teams have participated in several UN, ECOWAS and African Union peacekeeping operations worldwide providing medical support to Senegalese contingents, level 2 hospitals for multinational forces. Since 1960, they have been deployed to Sinai, Chad, Lebanon, Kuwait, Rwanda, Zaire, and Central Africa.

They are currently deployed in DRC, Sudan (Darfur), Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Guinea Bissau, Haitian Level 1 or 2 hospitals or as the military medical staff. 

Civil-Military Cooperation 

The military health service participates to the national public health policy through the national programs (Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Ebola...) of response to health issues.

The military health service participates to national medical support during national events.

(status: 01 February 2021)