Access to healthcare and medicines

In this book, the author explores the dynamics of access to care and medication for pregnant women and newborns at Bamako’s Gabriel Touré Hospital, a reference institution for maternal health in Mali. Using a sociological and anthropological approach, the study highlights the inequalities and constraints faced by parturients, in particular the economic, organizational and cultural barriers to their care.The book is based on field surveys, interviews with patients and healthcare professionals, and an analysis of current healthcare policies. It shows how the cost of care, the availability of drugs and social representations of maternity influence women’s experience of the care process.This book is an essential contribution to understanding the challenges of hospital-based maternal health in Mali, and offers perspectives for action for decision-makers, practitioners and researchers in the social sciences and public health.