Zondoma: Five primary healthcare centers in Gourcy equipped with sluice boxes to improve hygiene, waste management, and patient safety: Five health facilities in the municipality of Gourcy have benefited from sluice boxes made by the Rural World Association (AMR) in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
According to Burkina Information Agency, the official handover of these works, intended to improve the management of waste and liquids from care in delivery rooms, took place on Friday, September 18, 2026. The Health and Social Promotion Centres (CSPS) of Zindingess, Tangaye, Kiblo, Minima-Dour, and Koundouba are the beneficiaries of the waste disposal facilities made possible thanks to the support of AMR and its partner IRC.
In the health facilities, the handover of the works which took place on Friday, September 18, 2026, was attended by a representative of the Gourcy town hall, Moustapha Oudraogo, and the hygiene technician of the Gourcy health district, Christian Kabor. According to the donors, these structures will allow for the removal of waste and liquids from care in delivery rooms, thus helping to reduce the risks associated with exposure to waste and biological fluids.
"The construction of these sluice boxes aims to improve the working conditions of healthcare workers. It also allows those assisting women in labor to avoid direct handling of blood and, consequently, to limit the risk of infection," explained IRC representative Edwige Oudraogo, who in her message urged the beneficiaries to use the facilities responsibly to ensure their continued functionality.
At the Minima-Dour primary healthcare center, the head nurse, Mahamadi Oudraogo, welcomed the construction of these waste disposal units, which, in his view, despite their apparent simplicity, meet a significant need in the delivery rooms. "Previously, women accompanying mothers had to handle waste, risking exposure to infectious agents. With these units, this situation should improve," he stated, while thanking the partners for their support.
According to the representative of AMR, Dr. Narcis Congo, these sanitation works, valued at an estimated two million CFA francs, were carried out as part of the implementation of the OP515 project entitled "Health, sexual and reproductive rights, protection and socio-economic empowerment of women in the context of the crisis in Northern Burkina Faso". As a reminder, in the same vein, the CSPS of the village of Lago in the commune of Gourcy had benefited from the refurbishment of its maternity ward, which was put into service last August.