Peer-reviewed article
The profile of urban healthcare service provision with a focus on maternal and newborn health in Grand Conakry, Guinea: Results of a 2025 health facility census
Nafissatou Dioubate, Aline T. Semaan, Rehema Ouko, Gloria Jules DJIDONOU, Mohamed Koulako KEITA et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5This study is a census of health facilities in Grand Conakry, Guinea, carried out in 2025 to map where maternal and newborn health services are available. Researchers found 795 facilities in total, many more than official lists showed, with the private sector providing most care. Only a minority of facilities offered full childbirth care, and even fewer offered caesarean sections or blood transfusions, which are needed for emergencies. The study highlights uneven distribution of services across the city and gaps in reporting to the national health system, especially among private facilities.
Key points
- 795 health facilities were found in Grand Conakry, compared to an initial list of 459.
- 564 facilities were not on the original official list, showing major gaps in existing records.
- The private sector dominates healthcare provision, especially in Ratoma and Matoto districts.
- Only 332 of 691 responding facilities offered childbirth care; of these, 40% offered caesarean sections and 26% offered blood transfusions.
- Only 4% of facilities offered childbirth care completely free of charge, and these were all public.
Limitations
The census relied on facilities agreeing to participate, so some closed or non-cooperating facilities were excluded, and the study only describes facility characteristics rather than actual quality or outcomes of care.
Abstract
ABSTRACT Background Rapidly urbanising complex ecosystems present several challenges to the organisation, availability, and accessibility of healthcare services. This study describes the availability and distribution of health facilities offering services, with a focus on maternal and newborn health services in the seven health districts of Grand Conakry, Methods This study using primary data from a census of health facilities (June 2025). Finally, healthcare landscape was drawn up using the GPS coordinates collected, based on the boundaries of the seven including health districts. The census started with an existing list of 459 facilities and snowball sampling was used to identify facilities that were not initially on the list. We collected information on basic facility characteristics and GPS coordinates. Results A total of 795 health facilities exist in Grand Conakry, with 564 facilities which were not on the initial lists, 104 were either closed, out of service, or refused to participate. The questionnaire was completed by 691 health facilities. The private sector dominated the landscape and was mainly concentrated in the Ratoma and Matoto health districts; with most facilities (63%) not reporting to the national health information system, in contrast to those in public sector (85.7%). 332/691 facilities reported providing childbirth care, and 132 of them (40%) offered caesarean section, while 87 (26%) offered blood transfusions. Conclusion Despite the high number of facilities, geographic imbalances in distribution exist. Equitable access to healthcare in rapidly urbanising Grand Conakry requires strengthening urban health planning and public-private collaboration regarding ongoing rapid urbanisation in Grand Conakry. Key messages What is already known on this topic? The rapid urbanisation of Grand Conakry is accompanied by an expansion in healthcare provision, but information on the geographical distribution and characteristics of healthcare facilities, particularly for maternal and neonatal care is limited and incomplete. What this study adds? A significant number of healthcare facilities operating in Grand Conakry are missing from existing health authority lists. Healthcare provision is largely dominated by the private sector. The availability of comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care services remains limited, and only 4% of facilities offer childbirth care that is completely free of charge (all public). How this study might affect research, practice or policy? The comprehensive facility list generated by this census strengthens healthcare system planning for maternal and neonatal care provision, including improving referral networks in Grand Conakry.