Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Senegal: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinating Palliative Care, Medical Support, and Health Coverage

   • Organizing specialized hospital or home care: In Senegal, care for serious or progressive illnesses is coordinated through National University Hospitals (such as Hôpital Principal de Dakar, CHNU Aristide Le Dantec, CHNU de Fann, or Hôpital Dalal Jamm), regional hospitals, and specialized oncology and pain-management units [5] [6]. The attending medical team establishes an individualized pain-relief and supportive care protocol that may combine outpatient follow-up and home-based medical assistance [6].
   • Activating health coverage and mutual benefit schemes: Depending on the ill person's occupational status, medical consultations, pharmaceuticals, and hospitalizations are covered by mandatory Disease Welfare Institutions (Institutions de Prévoyance Maladie - IPM) for private-sector employees, state budget coverage (imputation budgétaire) for civil servants, the Plan Sésame program for citizens aged 60 and older, or community health mutuals supervised by the Universal Health Coverage Agency (SEN-CSU) [5] [6].
   • Assembling a complete medical file: We advise requesting a comprehensive clinical summary and ongoing pain-management prescriptions from the lead physician to streamline prior authorizations with the IPM or health mutual and guide emergency responders if acute symptoms arise at home [5] [6].
2. 2

   Documenting Medical Wishes and Designating a Trusted Healthcare Representative

   • Informed consent and treatment preferences: Under the Code of Medical Ethics in force in Senegal, no medical intervention or intensive treatment may be performed without the patient's free and informed consent while they are capable of expressing their wishes [6]. The ill person may record written therapeutic preferences regarding the avoidance of disproportionate interventions, priority comfort and pain management, and their preferred setting of care (home or hospital) [6].
   • Designating a trusted family spokesperson: Although Senegalese statutory law does not maintain a standalone national registry for living wills, the Code of Medical Ethics requires physicians to consult close family members when a patient becomes unable to express their wishes [6]. Designating a trusted relative or spokesperson in writing, with copies provided to the attending physician and placed in the hospital record, helps prevent family disputes and guides clinical decision-making [2] [6].
   • Authorizing access to medical records: The ill person may also expressly authorize this trusted representative to receive clinical updates and collect diagnostic reports from hospital departments and the Universal Health Coverage Agency (SEN-CSU) [6].
3. 3

   Bank Powers of Attorney, Notarial Mandates, and Legal Protection

   • Bank powers of attorney for everyday management: While your family member retains full legal capacity, we strongly advise visiting their commercial banks in Senegal (or arranging for an authorized bank officer to visit at home) to execute bank powers of attorney (procurations bancaires) over current and savings accounts [2]. This enables the appointed representative to pay medical bills, cover household expenses, and receive salary or pension payments without interruption [2] [5].
   • General or special notarial power of attorney: For broader legal and property administration (representing the ill person before tax authorities, managing real estate, signing leases, or collecting rent), the person may execute an authentic power of attorney (procuration notariée) before a Senegalese notary [2]. If physical illness prevents travel, a notary may attend the person's bedside at home or in the hospital after verifying their full mental capacity [2].
   • Court-supervised adult protection measures: Should the ill person's mental or physical faculties later become impaired to the point of preventing any expression of will, the Senegalese Family Code provides for judicial adult protection regimes (court protection, curatelle, or tutelle) ordered by the guardianship judge at the District Court (Tribunal d'Instance) under the Ministry of Justice of Senegal [2].
4. 4

   Disability Benefits, Income Replacement, and Caregiver Support

   • Private-sector employees (IPRES and CSS): In cases of prolonged work stoppage due to non-occupational illness, Senegalese collective bargaining agreements and Disease Welfare Institutions (IPM) provide full or partial salary continuation for a period based on seniority, while the Retirement Welfare Institution of Senegal (IPRES) permits early pension liquidation on grounds of medically certified unfitness, as outlined by the European and International Social Security Liaison Center (CLEISS) [5]. If the illness is occupational in origin, the Social Security Fund (CSS) pays daily allowances followed by a permanent disability annuity [5].
   • Civil servants and state employees: Public officials diagnosed with a severe, disabling illness may apply for long-term sick leave (congé de longue maladie or congé de longue durée) with salary continuation and, if permanent unfitness is certified by the Health Board (Conseil de santé), an invalidity or early retirement pension administered by the Directorate of Pensions of the Ministry of Finance and Budget [3] [4].
   • Caregiver leave and Equal Opportunity Card: Employed family members in Senegal may request paid or authorized short-term family leave from their employer under the Labor Code and the National Interprofessional Collective Agreement to accompany a seriously ill relative [5]. In addition, the Directorate General of Social Action issues the Equal Opportunity Card (Carte d'Égalité des Chances), granting persons with severe disability access to healthcare and social assistance [6].
5. 5

   Advance Organization of Wills, Insurance Beneficiaries, and Civil Status Records

   • Verifying and updating civil status records: In Senegal, future social security and estate procedures require exact consistency across all civil status documents (the ill person's birth certificate, registered marriage certificate, and birth certificates of all children) [1] [3] [4]. It is essential to verify these records now and obtain updated literal copies from the municipal registry or through the National Civil Registration Agency (ANEC) [1].
   • Drafting a will and selecting the succession regime: The Senegalese Family Code allows any person of sound mind to organize the distribution of their estate by will (authentic will before a notary, holographic will written, dated, and signed entirely by hand, or secret will) within statutory forced-heirship limits [2]. If your family member wishes for their future estate to be governed by the Islamic succession rules provided under the Family Code, recording this explicit intention with a notary ensures legal certainty [2].
   • Reviewing insurance beneficiaries and cross-border assets: We advise reviewing beneficiary designations on life insurance and provident policies and consolidating land titles (titres fonciers), long-term leases, and bank records [2] [5]. Where heirs or assets are located abroad, a Senegalese notary can coordinate internationally valid powers of attorney and testamentary instruments [2].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Sama État Civil Platform - Civil Status Procedures and Records in Senegal — Agence Nationale de l'État Civil (ANEC) - Gouvernement du Sénégal
2. [2]
   e-Justice Platform and Judicial Services in Senegal — Ministère de la Justice du Sénégal
3. [3]
   Pension Procedures and Entitlements at the Directorate of Pensions of Senegal — Ministère des Finances et du Budget du Sénégal
4. [4]
   Social Entitlements and Benefits for Active Civil Servants in Senegal — Ministère des Finances et du Budget du Sénégal
5. [5]
   The Senegalese Social Security System (IPRES, CSS, and IPM Health Coverage) — Centre des Liaisons Européennes et Internationales de Sécurité Sociale (CLEISS)
6. [6]
   Universal Health Coverage in Senegal (SEN-CSU) — Agence de la Couverture Sanitaire Universelle