Geographical Locations - Benin

• (Statistical) Number of Inhabitants per Doctor: 14,286
• CIA World Factbook : Benin

Organisations and Networks

UN and Multinational

• WHO
  - WHO Country Profile - Benin
  - WHO - Tobacco Control: Country Profile - Benin
  - WHO - Environmental Burden of Disease: Country Profile – Benin
  - WHO - Malaria Country Profile - Benin
• UNDP - Benin
  This site outlines UNDP activities in Benin, which focus on democratic governance, reduction of poverty, prevention and management of crises, energy and environmental policies and the fight against HIV.

Government

• Benin Government Portal
• Benin Ministry of Health
  This is the homepage of the Benin Ministry of Health. It outlines public health priorities in Benin, provides contact details and access to ministry publications. In French.
• Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Priority Countries: Benin
  Benin has been a priority country for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) since 1983. Cooperation has concentrated mainly on economic and social actors such as producers and craftsmen and on public services most likely to benefit these people (literacy, professional training, health, access to credits, decentralization). This site outlines the SDC's activities in Benin
• USAID Benin
  This is USAID's Benin site. It provides information on USAID's programs and achievements in Benin.

Non-Government

• Aktie Benin
  The Dutch Foundation Aktie Benin's goal is to improve the public health in Benin. The organisation's core activities include improving health care for mother and child, especially during delivery and the pre- and postnatal phase and improving public health education in Benin.
• AIDES - BENIN
  Aides Benin is a non-governmental organisation supporting economic and social development within Benin - in French
• CCISD - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Santé et Développement
  The CCISD is an international aid organisation based in Canada. It aims to contribute to improving the health of disadvantaged communities by building capacity in both the health sector and among the community groups involved. Many of the organisation's projects are based in West Africa
• International Development Research Centre - Benin Projects
  Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC, the Centre) generates and applies new knowledge to address problems in developing countries. The Centre supports research under the broad themes of environment and natural resource management, information and communication technologies for development, and social and economic policy. This page provides details of the Centre's most recent projects undertaken in Benin.

Academic Institutions

• Université d'Abomey Calavi
  - Faculté des sciences de la santé
  - Institut Régional de Santé Publique (IRSP)
• Health Management Capacity Building at the Regional Public Health Training Centre (IRSP) in Benin
  This site outlines a Japanese government programme to contribute to strengthening African countries' capacity to manage their health development programmes, particularly at the central (strategic) and provincial (programmatic) levels through support for the Regional Public Health Training Centre (IRSP) in Benin .

National Policy and Related Documents

• Benin - Public Health Code
  This WHO document outlines the following dimensions of public health in Benin: I. Public Hygiene; II. Hygiene of housing units; III. Hygiene of food products; IV. Hygiene on markets and commercial activities; V. Hygiene of public places and of seaside resorts/beaches; VI. Hygiene concerning the diverse use of water; VII. Hygiene of industrial installations; VIII. Hygiene relative with sanitary control of frontiers; IX. Hygiene relative to the control of noise and the pollution of the natural environment.; X. Regulations for towns.

Reports, Guidelines, and Projects

• Benin Health Services Development Project
  This article from the World Bank Participation Sourcebook outlines the participatory approach used in the Health Services Development Project undertaken by the World Bank in Benin.
• Epidemiological Fact Sheets on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections - Benin
  This UNAIDS/WHO Fact Sheet provides the latest country-specific epidemiological data on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease prevalence and incidence, together with information on health related behaviours.
• Management of Childhood Illness at Health Facilities in Benin: Problems and Their Causes
  Objectives: To prepare for the implementation of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) in Benin, we studied the management of ill children younger than 5 years at outpatient health facilities. Methods: We observed a representative sample of consultations; after each consultation, we interviewed caregivers and re-examined children. Health workers’ performance was evaluated against IMCI guidelines. To identify determinants of performance, statistical modeling was performed and 6 focus groups with health workers were conducted to solicit their opinions. Results: Altogether, 584 children were enrolled and 101 health workers were observed; 130 health workers participated in focus group discussions. Many serious deficiencies were found: incomplete assessment of children’s signs and symptoms, incorrect diagnosis and treatment of potentially life-threatening illnesses, inappropriate prescription of dangerous sedatives, missed opportunities to vaccinate, and failure to refer severely ill children for hospitalization. Quantitative and qualitative analyses showed various health facility-, health worker-, caregiver-, and child-related factors as possible determinants of health worker performance. Conclusions: Action is urgently needed. Our results suggest that to improve health care delivery, interventions should target both the health system and the community level. [author abstract] [Am J Public Health. 2001;91: 1625–1635]

Educational Resources

• Beninensis
  This site contains extensive information on Benin, including sections on history, geography, population, politics, economics, education, health and agriculture. In French.
• CDC Travel Information West Africa
  This site from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information on the health situation for travellers to Benin. It includes current travel notices, information on diseases found in West Africa and recommends vaccines and preventive medication.
• IRIN Latest News from Benin
  The UN's IRIN focuses on strengthening universal access to timely, strategic and non-partisan information so as to enhance the capacity of the humanitarian community to understand, respond to and avert emergencies. IRIN's Benin page provides the latest news on what is happening on the ground in Benin.