Page 38 Measures taken in this area led to the acquisition in 2005 of 2,521 health facilities, including 267 hospitals of all categories and 2,254 health centres nationwide. Despite the severe shortage of personnel in the sector, due primarily to a freeze in public service employment during the 90‟s, the ratio of health workers to the population is about one doctor to 10,000 inhabitants and one nurse to 2,000 inhabitants. Special recruitment exercises for 1,800 staff made up of 148 doctors and related professionals and 1,652 health personnel were carried out in 2002, 2003 and 2009. The sectoral strategy of the Ministry of public health consists in developing disease control programmes (expanded vaccination programme, malaria control programme, tuberculosis and aids control programmes) with permanent secretariats responsible for implementing and monitoring these programmes. At the Copenhagen Summit on Social Development, access to potable water and adequate sanitation were recognised as essential to a healthy existence. However, the majority of the populations who live in abject poverty or in rural areas make do with surface water from rivers, springs and wells, which is not potable. Consequently, three strategies have been identified to guarantee access for the populations to potable water. These are: - Strengthening programmes for the construction of infrastructure for access to potable water; - Setting up mechanisms for the management of the infrastructure by the user populations; - Improving mechanisms to control the quality of drinking water. It must be noted that the proportion of households with access to potable water rose from 40.6 per cent in 2001 to 45.3 per cent in 2007 (ECAM II and III) and the proportion of people from 63 per cent in 2004 to 69 per cent in 2006 (MICS II, III). Maternal health is one of the action priorities in the health sector. The implementation of the recently adopted national reproductive health programme and the ongoing implementation of emergency obstetric and neonatal care in some health facilities are some of the actions being undertaken to improve maternal health. Furthermore, the proportion of childbirths assisted by qualified medical personnel rose from 54.3 per cent in 1998 to 59 per cent in 2006. The proportion of women who attended ante-natal clinics also rose from 78.8 per cent in 1998 to 83.3 per cent in 2004 and to 84 per cent in 2006. Although maternal mortality is still high, the monitoring capacities for pregnant women and women in labour have improved greatly.