best physical, mental and social health. 212. The accession by the Republic of Mali to the World Health Organization after its attainment of national and international sovereignty in 1960 stems from this reality. The same applies to the adoption of the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978, on the strategy of revitalizing primary health care and the objective of health for all by the Year 2000, as well as the adoption the Bamako Initiative in 1987 and its implementation in 1989, as a health care revitalization/revival strategy. 213. The same applies to international objectives for reducing maternal and infant mortality, controlling the HIV epidemic currently widespread in Mali, malaria, tuberculosis and other major endemic diseases, within the framework of achieving the Millennium Development Goals as well as attaining universal access to treatment by 2015. 212. The Constitution of the Republic of Mali provides in Article 17 that "Health shall be an inalienable right of the citizen" 213. For the purposes of implementing Article 16 of the Charter, the Government of Mali initiated and implemented various projects and programmes to ensure coverage of the population’s health needs. 214. The following can be mentioned, among others: the adoption of the Primary Health Care Strategy, the Bamako Initiative, the Declaration of the Health and Population Sector Policy, the 2002 Framework Law on Health, and various other laws and their implementing decrees on health targeting especially women, new-borns and children, the youth, health cluster to multiple indicator survey relating to hospitals, the fight against HIV and AIDS. 215. The health sector policy adopted in 1990, translated into Framework Law No. 020-49 on health on 22 July 2002, advocates in Article 2 the basic principles of equity, justice, solidarity and participation of the population and civil society. It takes into account the international commitments to which the Republic of Mali has subscribed. 216. In order to address the problems in the health sector, the Government undertook the realization of "the Compact" whose overall objective is to define a unique and harmonized framework to increase and improve the effectiveness of aid in the health sector with a view to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Mali is one of the first Sub-Saharan African countries to establish a national performance contract for the achievement of MDGs 4 and 5 linking the Government with 13 bilateral and multilateral partners. 217. The participatory implementation of the aforementioned policies, plans and strategies has contributed to improving the population's health status, notwithstanding the shortcomings noted at certain levels. 218. Indeed, regarding the extension of health coverage, the minimum package of activities (MPA: preventive, curative and promotional care) was offered in 2010, in 1050 CSCOMs, representing 59% and 90% of the population living within 5km and 15 km respectively of a health facility. This level refers patients to referral health centres (CS Ref.) in the health districts, but often directly to the public hospital establishments (EPH), depending on their proximity or following the choice of the patient or his parents contrary to the normal circuit established. 44