Cote d'Ivoire

Under the Constitution, every person has the right to access health care services (art. 9) and the State has the duty to guarantee healthcare access to vulnerable people (art. 32). There is also a right to a healthy environment (art. 27).

The Constitution establishes areas for which laws are needed and those that can be addressed via regulations. Matters to be addressed by a law are identified in articles 101 and 102; other matters (those that are not specifically listed) fall into the regulatory area (art. 103). Cooperation in the area of health is furthermore identified as an area that can be addressed through African intergovernmental bodies (art. 125).

As of June 2024, no health policy was located. However under the law N°2019-677 on the orientation of public health policy, the State is responsible to define the national health policy (art. 4) which shall guarantee the right to health to every citizen (art. 5). The objectives of the National Health Policy are defined in the same law (art. 9). References are made to various sectorial health policies (art. 11).

The main goal of the Plan National de Développement Sanitaire 2021-2025 is to improve the health and well-being of the population of Côte d'Ivoire through a strengthened health system, effective disease control, reduced maternal and infant mortality, enhanced community participation, and accessible healthcare services (pages 131, 87).

The PNDS 2021-2025 focuses on three strategic axes: improving governance and financement for health (page 88), strengthen the availability and accessibility of quality health services for the population (pages 88-89) and strengthen health promotion and the fight against diseases (pages 90- 91).

The list of priority actions to implement these strategic axes is provided in Annex 2 (pages 162 - 193). Under this part, action 1.1.1. on “strengthening the legislative, regulatory and institutional framework for health” comprise 7 activities addressing capacity building for law making, development of bills and implementing decrees (for a Public Health Code, a Hygiene Code, private sector regulation etc) and amendment to existing orders regulating mandates for regional health directorates (orders n°399, 400 and 401 of 18 December 2007). In addition to this section specifically covering legislation and regulations, regulatory components can be found in other priority actions areas e.g., action 1.2.2 on private sector regulation, action 5.4.5 on strengthening the regulatory and normative framework for Infection Prevention and Control and sanitary waste management, action 5.4.5 on strengthening the regulatory and standards framework for building and equipping health centres (non-exhaustive list).