Mali: disruptions to fuel supplies impacting MSF medical activities

Fuel shortages mean that fewer patients are able to travel to hospitals, hospital power supplies are limited, and patient referrals have become slower and more expensive. This situation compromises the quality of care MSF is able to provide. In the Malian capital, Bamako, there is a significant fuel shortage, but it is not total. At Point G University Hospital in Bamako, where we are running a cancer treatment project in partnership with the health authorities, we have seen a 15% drop in consultations among women with breast and cervical cancer. This decline may be linked to patients finding it more difficult to travel. In addition, tensions over international imports have led to an increased demand for medical supplies, reducing the availability of essential treatments and slowing down treatment.

In our offices in Bamako, we have reduced travel and limited generator use, and in some cases we have introduced remote working. The town of Niono, in the Ségou region east of Bamako, has faced a severe fuel shortage. Petrol stations are almost empty. MSF is using its reserve fuel to support certain community health centres, known as CSComs, such as those in Dougouba, K2, Sokolo, Diabaly, C3 and Nampala, as well as the Niono Referral Health Centre, known as CSREF. As of 24 November 2025, there is one month's worth of reserves remaining. At the CSREF, the rationing of generator fuel is disrupting hospital operations. The generator runs for 13 hours a day to cover power cuts and ensure that electricity is always available. Fuel shortages are having an impact on this schedule. To remedy this, MSF has installed a solar energy system providing 10 hours of power each day for specific departments, including the operating theatre, paediatrics, the laboratory, and neonatology. A small generator has also been made available for the maternity ward. Departments not supported by MSF, which depend on the city's electricity grid, are frequently affected by power cuts. MSF is also equipping some CSCOMs with solar energy systems to make them less dependent on fossil fuel.

Referrals of sick patients from local health centres to the CSREF are also affected. MSF-supported ambulances handle emergency referrals, while others use hired cars, the cost of which has increased, particularly for those coming from Nampala, a town near the border with Mauritania.

We are extremely concerned about patients' access to healthcare facilities and the quality of care, especially in the worst-affected regions. In a context where many development and humanitarian projects are already being curtailed by funding cuts, essential medical care must continue.

MSF currently runs regular projects in the Gao (Ansongo) region, the Timbuktu region, the Niafounké region, the Mopti (Ténénkou, Douentza and Koro) region, the Ségou (Niono) region, the Sikasso (Koutiala) region and the capital, Bamako. The organisation also carries out numerous emergency interventions in response to significant needs across the country.