Guinea's health system

Photo: Mother and baby

The organizational structure of the health system is modeled on the administrative organization of the country and comprises eight regions with regional health departments and 38 health districts or prefectural health directorates.  General health care provision is organized in a pyramid structure. It comprises, from top to bottom:  

(i) the national level with the central departments and bodies organized around the Minister’s office and the General Secretariat; 
(ii) the intermediate level, which comprises eight regional health departments; and  
(iii) the local level, which is represented by 38 prefectural/communal health directorates.  

The health care system comprises three sectors: public, private and community. 

 

Public sector 

First tier 

  • First level: 961 Health posts, 423 Health centres 
  • Second level: 9 Local medical centres, 31 Prefectural hospitals 
  • Second tier: 7 Regional hospitals 
  • Third tier: 3 National hospitals 

In addition to these three levels, the armed forces, security services and school health services have surgical-medical centers and infirmaries that are involved in disease control. 

Private sector 

The private, voluntary, faith-based and mining sectors are actively involved in the control of malaria, HIV and TB in terms of awareness, prevention and treatment. 

The NMCP began to bring nonprofit private facilities on board as a way of strengthening malaria control in 2015. To date, 90 out of 147 private health care facilities have been brought into the malaria control program, which means that they receive antimalarial supplies, apply national malaria control guidelines and collaborate with the health districts. The mining sector has also been brought into malaria control efforts through the Guinea Chamber of Mines; their facilities apply national malaria control guidelines. 

Community sector 

The community subsector comprises community-based services with community health workers (CHWs), community outreach workers and providers of traditional medicine. 

In addition to this formal community sector, community-based organizations (CBOs) – women’s and youth groups, community leaders and religious leaders – also participate by supporting or facilitating the work of community outreach workers and CHWs in the field.