A new advanced medical diagnostic centre specialising in cancer and genetic disease screening has been inaugurated in Bamako, marking a major milestone for Mali’s healthcare sector.
The facility results from a partnership between the University of Sciences, Techniques, and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB) and the University of Chicago. Officially opened by Mali’s Minister of Health and Social Development, Colonel Assa Badiallo Touré, the centre received over 100 million CFA francs (approximately €150,000) in funding.
It features a mobile molecular biology lab capable of conducting up to 96 tests per hour, enabling rapid and decentralised diagnostics in previously under-served areas.
Until now, such specialised tests had to be sent abroad, costing patients between 20,000 and 50,000 CFA francs (€30 to €75) per analysis. The new centre is expected to significantly reduce both the waiting time and the financial burden on patients.
The University of Chicago provided the technical equipment and trained the first cohort of Malian technicians in its use. The centre is also part of the mobile health initiative “Santé en Route,” coordinated by Northwestern University, which aims to boost cervical cancer screening in Mali and Nigeria.
At full capacity, the centre aims to process several hundred cases, with a monthly target of 500 tests—60% oncology-related and 40% dedicated to genetic diseases. It will also serve as a platform for clinical research, particularly the follow-up of cancer patient cohorts in collaboration with academic partners.
This unprecedented infrastructure, combining a fixed laboratory with a mobile diagnostic unit, represents a turning point for early detection and care of complex diseases, long neglected in Mali’s health system.
MD/te/sf/lb/as/APA