TableĀ 1

The five dimensions of resilience as applied to the health system of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Aware
  • Good health information system

  • Unexpected terrorist attack

  • Security force and health professionals poorly prepared

  • Emergency response plan in process of being formulated, not yet implemented

Diverse
  • Pyramidal (public/private) health system effective in the capital

  • Good network of primary care health centres and university hospitals

  • Very high density of health professionals and specialists in the capital

  • Slow reaction to new threats

Self-regulating
  • Capital oversupplied in healthcare facilities and health professionals

  • Crises of relatively small scale in terms of number of victims, not affecting routine services

  • Services most concerned adapted themselves (eg, CNTS)

Integrated
  • Communication and information sharing improved from one crisis to the next

  • Information disseminated by traditional and social media

  • Civil society and NGOs mobilised in context of significant social change

Adaptive
  • Hours of CNTS operation modified

  • Several healthcare facilities and medical NGOs mobilised

  • CNTS, Centre National de Transfusion Sanguine; NGOs, non-governmental organisations.