Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Health has issued a firm reminder that any patient arriving at an emergency department must be admitted, evaluated, and treated without discrimination, regardless of any administrative or operational constraints.
In an official circular dated July 6, 2026, the Ministry’s Secretariat General emphasized that the reception, triage, and care of patients constitute a fundamental obligation for all healthcare facilities. The directive strongly criticizes the ongoing practice of turning away patients or redirecting them to other facilities without a prior clinical assessment, incidents that are frequently blamed on a shortage of hospital beds, overcrowded departments, or the absence of a formal referral form.
The Ministry reiterated that the healthcare referral hierarchy is designed to organize medical care, not act as a barrier to accessing it. It stressed that protecting human life must remain the absolute priority and that the clinical judgment of medical professionals must supersede the rigid application of administrative protocols. Consequently, the circular strictly prohibits turning away any patient before they have been evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional, explicitly stating that bed shortages or overcrowded wards cannot justify refusing a clinical examination or withholding essential first-aid care.
When a transfer to another facility is deemed necessary, it must occur only after the patient has been stabilized whenever possible. Furthermore, such transfers must be coordinated with the receiving hospital and accompanied by all necessary medical documentation to ensure continuity of care. The directive also explicitly bans the refusal of initial emergency treatment solely because a patient lacks a referral slip or has bypassed the standard healthcare pathway. Through this directive, signed by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Joël Arthur Kiendrébéogo, authorities aim to guarantee rapid, equitable, and medically compliant care for all patients requiring urgent medical attention.