Press releases - 2026 April 24
His Excellency the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, traveled this Friday, April 24, 2026, to Medina Yoro Foulah to lay the foundation stone for a new health center an essential infrastructure project for the department’s population and a strong demonstration of the State’s presence in an area long affected by limited access to healthcare services.
To this day, the health district still operates from the premises of a former health post, despite serving a population of more than 185,000 inhabitants in a border department adjacent to The Gambia and located nearly two hours from the Regional Hospital Center of Kolda. The project launched by the Head of State responds to a deep expectation of the population: bringing healthcare closer, strengthening local care delivery, and providing greater health security for families.
Planned on a 2-hectare site with a built-up area of 2,961 square meters, the future center will be fully designed on a single level to facilitate access for patients, persons with reduced mobility, healthcare personnel, and emergency services. It will include consultation units, a maternity ward, an operating theater, emergency services, a pharmacy, a laboratory, prevention and vaccination units, as well as a 35-bed hospitalization capacity. Construction is scheduled to be completed within 18 months.
At the very start of his address, the President of the Republic gave this moment its deepest significance by stating that this act is an act of hope, demonstrating that Medina Yoro Foulah is not forgotten, but fully at the heart of the State and public policy. This message resonated strongly in the mayor’s remarks, who, on behalf of the population, expressed their satisfaction and gratitude for this long-awaited achievement, while announcing that the center would bear the name of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Beyond the tribute, this gesture reflected the symbolic weight of this milestone for local residents that of a territory that finally feels fully seen, heard, and taken into account.
This sequence thus reflects a clear orientation of the Head of State: to put an end to the sense of neglect in remote territories, reduce inequalities in access to essential services, and give concrete expression, through tangible achievements, to the same republican promise for all Senegalese citizens.
