Health insurance in Ivory Coast

Like many Sub-Saharan countries, Ivory Coast suffers from a lack of healthcare infrastructure, medical equipment and healthcare professionals. Accessing medical treatment often requires travelling to the capital city, Abidjan, or even crossing the border into a neighbouring country. In some cases, medical evacuation to the patient’s home country may be recommended.

These emergency situations make it essential to have appropriate international health insurance in Ivory Coast.

Which health insurance for expatriates in Ivory Coast?

The health insurance system in Ivory Coast

Since 1 October 2019, Ivory Coast has implemented a Universal Health Coverage scheme (CMU – Couverture Maladie Universelle), which allows all residents to access healthcare provided they follow a defined care pathway:

• an initial consultation with a designated primary healthcare facility, chosen at the time of registration: urban or rural health centres, dispensaries, or a hospital where no first-level facility exists locally;

• access to secondary-level healthcare facilities (regional or general hospitals) or tertiary-level facilities (university or specialised hospitals) only upon referral from the designated primary care centre.

Certain types of care may be accessed outside this care pathway, including gynaecological, paediatric, dental and ophthalmological treatment.

When the care pathway is respected and treatment is provided by public healthcare facilities or contracted private providers, medical expenses are covered up to 70% by the CMU. A 30% co-payment therefore remains payable by the insured.

Childbirth is covered at 100%, although coverage may be partial in the private sector.

Choosing health insurance in Ivory Coast: local or international?

To cover their out-of-pocket medical expenses, both Ivorian nationals and foreign residents often take out private health insurance. These local policies generally cover the co-payment and provide partial, capped reimbursement for routine medical care or hospitalisation in non-contracted private facilities.

Unlike international health insurance, local policies do not cover medical transfers to better-equipped neighbouring countries (such as Morocco or Tunisia), nor medical repatriation, which is often recommended for complex or specialised treatments.
Choosing a solution specifically designed for expatriates also provides access to services such as medical teleconsultation, which can be particularly valuable in a country with limited healthcare facilities and medical professionals.

What is the cost of healthcare in Ivory Coast?

Medical consultations and care with “MyHealth International”

Examples of reimbursements with MyHealth International COMFORT in relation to the cost of care in Ivory Coast in the private sector*.