C. Right to health
Article 16 of the African Charter states that “1. Every individual shall have the right to
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enjoy the best attainable state of physical and mental health. 2. State Parties to the present Charter
shall take the necessary measures to protect the health of their people and to ensure that they receive
medical attention when they are sick”.
Article 37 of the Constitution of the Republic of Chad states that “the Family is the natural
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and moral basis of society. The State and Decentralized Local Governments have a duty to ensure
the well-being of the family”.
The Government’s objective in the field of Public Health is to ensure access to quality services
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for the entire population. The share of the National budget allocated to the health sector remained
fairly stable at 10% between 2012 and 2013, and below the target of 20% by 2015.
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From 2012 to 2013, the health coverage rate increased from 68 to 72.4% due to the
rehabilitation of 24 regional hospitals and 450 dispensaries (health centres).
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However, further efforts are needed to improve some indicators, in particular the infant
mortality rate which has been high over the past decade.
Child health
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In Chad, child and women’s health is a priority component of its national health policy. The
health sector is considered one of the priority development sectors both in the MDGs (United Nations)
and in the PRSP. The main purpose of this section is to provide data on the main indicators relating
to mortality rates among children aged 0-59 months as well as measles vaccination among one-yearolds.
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The infant and child mortality rate corresponds to the probability of dying before the fifth
birthday. According to data from the 1996-1997 DHS, 2004 DHS, 2010 MICS and 2014-2015 DHSMICS surveys, infant and child mortality rates decreased from 194‰ in 1996-1997 to 133‰ in 20142015. The decline in infant and child mortality rates during this period is due to the measures adopted
by the Government in the health sector. The target for 2015 was 68‰. And to reach this target by
2015, a 6.84% annual drop in mortality rates was required.
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