How is health care organized in Mauritania?

Mauritania uses a three-level system that begins with community services, Unités de Santé de Base, Postes de santé and Centres de santé, then continues through Moughataa and regional hospitals to general and specialized hospitals. Patients are referred upward when the local facility cannot provide the required examination or treatment.

Where should a person in Mauritania start for routine health care and referral?

Routine care usually starts at the nearest Unité de Santé de Base, Poste de santé or Centre de santé. These facilities provide prevention, vaccination, antenatal care and common-condition treatment and can refer patients to a district, regional or specialized hospital.

What should a patient in Mauritania expect during a health emergency?

The patient or accompanying person generally needs to reach the nearest facility capable of treating the emergency. Ambulance and medical evacuation availability depends on the locality, provider or programme, and a nationwide emergency number or universal ambulance service has not been verified.

How do medicine availability and payment affect health care in Mauritania?

The national essential-medicines list guides procurement and distribution, but it does not guarantee that a medicine is in stock at a particular facility. Patients may face direct costs for consultation, treatment, medicines and transport, especially where insurance or a targeted free programme does not apply.

Which preventive health services are available in Mauritania?

Preventive services include vaccination, maternal and child health, family planning, malaria and HIV services, tuberculosis and hepatitis care, nutrition, oral and eye health, and screening or treatment for hypertension and diabetes. Availability differs by facility and locality, and vaccination gaps and outbreaks still occur despite DTP3 coverage of about 90 percent in the available country profile.

How can a patient in Mauritania continue treatment after leaving a health facility?

Follow-up may be arranged through the referring facility, a local health centre or a specialist service, with repeat examinations and medicine continuation coordinated between them. Long travel distances, stockouts, diagnostic delays and weak continuity can interrupt care, particularly in peripheral areas and HIV services.

Health in Mauritania

Mauritania has a formal national health system with public facilities, private providers, NGOs, community services and traditional medicine. Care is organized from local health posts and centres to district, regional and specialized hospitals, but access and continuity vary greatly by location. Prevention includes vaccination, maternal and child health, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, nutrition, hypertension, diabetes, mental health and other services. Distance, medicine shortages, diagnostic delays, transport and payment can affect whether care is available when needed.

Tip

Treat health care in Mauritania as a locally dependent process: choose the nearest suitable facility for routine needs, but confirm where referral, diagnostics, medicines and specialist care are actually available. Plan transport, payment and follow-up before relying on a service, because free care, stocked medicines, ambulances and continuous records cannot be assumed.

byAicha&Mohamed

The Ministry of Health coordinates a three-level system. At the local level, a Poste de santé (PS) and a Centre de santé (CS) provide screening, prevention, vaccination, antenatal care and treatment for common conditions. An Unité de Santé de Base (USB) supports basic community-level services. These facilities refer patients to Moughataa or regional hospitals when they need investigations or treatment beyond their capacity. The National Health Development Plan baseline for 2021 listed 746 PS, 118 CS and several hundred USB, but these figures are not a current census. The intermediate level included Moughataa and regional hospitals and 15 regional hospital centres. The tertiary level included four general hospitals and five specialized hospitals. People in remote settlements may travel more than 10 kilometres to reach a PS or CS. Mobile clinics have been documented in Hodh El Chargui, but their availability depends on the programme and location. Nouakchott offers the strongest access to specialized services, including cardiology. The Laboratoire National de Référence (LNR) provides central epidemic diagnostics, while peripheral diagnostic capacity and specimen transport remain limited. Private and NGO providers can offer alternatives, but quality, price and continuity vary. Urgent cases generally require reaching the nearest facility capable of treating the condition. Ambulance access and medical evacuation depend on the locality, provider or programme. A nationwide emergency number and a universal ambulance pathway have not been verified. The national plan lists an emergency medical service and better transport and evacuation as reform objectives, so these services should not be assumed to operate uniformly today. After treatment, follow-up may take place at the referring facility, a local health centre or a specialist service. Patients may need to arrange repeat examinations and medicine continuation themselves. Long distances, medicine stockouts, delayed diagnosis and loss to follow-up create particular problems in peripheral areas and HIV services. A nationwide digital medical-record system has not been evidenced; health information and digital-health systems are planned through the SNIS and related reforms. Preventive services cover vaccination, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, family planning, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis, neglected tropical diseases, nutrition, oral and eye health, hypertension, diabetes, mental health and addiction care. DTP3 vaccination coverage was about 90 percent in the available country profile, while gaps and outbreaks still occur. Malaria and vector surveillance remain priorities, and Hodh El Chargui has faced simultaneous outbreak pressure. Trachoma was validated as eliminated as a public-health problem in 2025, but other infectious and non-communicable diseases still require ongoing services. The available indicators show substantial health needs. Under-five mortality was about 38 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, and maternal mortality was about 766 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. Health spending was reported at US$92.1 per person and 4.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2023. Households financed 46.6 percent of health expenditure in 2020, while insurance accounted for about 2 percent of expenditure. A World Bank assessment found that 71 percent of the population lacked adequate financial protection. Mauritania has no evidenced general entitlement to free care. Access depends on locality, urgency, facility, ability to pay, insurance and programme eligibility. The Caisse Nationale d'Assurance Maladie (CNAM) is mandatory for the formal public and private sectors and covers approximately 15 percent of the population. CNASS/CRSS provides a voluntary scheme for informal and indigent groups, with a target of 70 percent coverage by 2027. Targeted free programmes include HIV, malaria and some maternal services, but they do not guarantee free treatment for every health need. The 2024 national essential-medicines list assigns medicines by level of care. CAMEC supports procurement, and the National Laboratory for Quality Control oversees medicine quality. The list does not guarantee local stock. Availability is inconsistent, especially in remote and refugee-hosting areas, and households may pay directly for medicines. Consultation, treatment, medicine and transport costs also vary between public, private, NGO and programme-supported care. Current nationwide standard tariffs and waiting-time standards have not been verified, although public-private tariff harmonization is planned. Mental-health services remain limited and poorly integrated. No stand-alone national mental-health policy or plan was recorded in the 2024 Mental Health Atlas. A national integrated multisectoral mental-health and addictions strategy for 2026 to 2030 was validated in July 2026, but its implementation depth and current service availability remain unverified. Patients should therefore confirm where assessment, medicines, specialist care and follow-up are actually available in their locality. A national patient charter and a clearly established complaints pathway were not evidenced in the reviewed material, so provider choice, referral, payment and medicine procedures can differ between settings.