Dr. Mahamat Idriss

Dr. Mahamat Idriss is a general practitioner at the Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant (Hospital of Mother and Child) in N'Djamena, a specialised public hospital focused on maternal and paediatric health in Chad's capital city. Over 16 years of practice, Dr. Idriss has served one of the Sahel's most medically underserved populations, contributing to primary care services in a country that consistently faces acute shortages of healthcare personnel and infrastructure.

Chad's health indicators reflect its geography and history: one of the world's poorest countries, it sits at the crossroads of the Sahara and the Sahel, with a dispersed population across a vast, landlocked territory. The disease burden is dominated by malaria (in the south), meningitis (in the meningitis belt region covering much of the country), cholera, and acute malnutrition, alongside an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases in the urban population of N'Djamena.

As a bilingual French and Arabic speaker, Dr. Idriss is able to communicate effectively with patients from both the French-speaking and Arabic-speaking communities that make up N'Djamena's diverse population. Chad is officially bilingual, and the ability to consult in both languages is a practical necessity for a physician serving the capital's varied communities. He also has some communicative competence in Chadian Arabic (as distinct from Modern Standard Arabic), which is the most widely spoken vernacular language in N'Djamena.

Dr. Idriss completed his Doctorat en Médecine at the Faculté des Sciences de la Santé of the Université de N'Djamena, the main medical school in Chad which has trained the majority of the country's physicians. He completed his residency training at the major hospitals in N'Djamena and earned a Diplôme d'Études Spécialisées en Médecine Générale through the national training programme. He has completed WHO-coordinated training in malaria case management, integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI), and cholera outbreak response, all of which have been directly applicable to his clinical practice in Chad.

Dr. Idriss provides primary care consultations addressing Chad's dominant disease burden at the Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant, with a particular focus on maternal and child health given the hospital's specialisation. He is experienced in managing malaria including complicated forms, bacterial meningitis (including meningococcal meningitis, which occurs in seasonal epidemics in Chad), cholera, typhoid fever, and acute respiratory infections. He manages severe acute malnutrition in collaboration with nutrition support teams and provides antenatal primary care for women attending the hospital's maternal health services. He conducts childhood immunisation clinics and growth monitoring. He performs malaria rapid diagnostic testing, wound assessment and care, and IV therapy initiation.

Dr. Idriss is primarily dedicated to clinical service within Chad's demanding public healthcare system. He has participated in disease outbreak surveillance activities coordinated by the Ministry of Public Health and by WHO, contributing epidemiological data during meningitis and cholera outbreaks in N'Djamena. He participates in continuing medical education activities organised by the Conseil National de l'Ordre des Médecins du Tchad and engages with regional medical education through partnerships with Cameroonian and Sudanese medical institutions.

Dr. Idriss consults in French and Arabic, making him accessible to patients from Chad's two official language communities as well as to Arabic-speaking patients from Sudan, Libya, and the broader Arab world. International aid workers, UN staff, and NGO personnel based in N'Djamena who require primary medical care can access his services at the Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant. French-speaking diaspora members visiting N'Djamena from France, Belgium, and North America will find him communicative and knowledgeable about health risks in the Sahelian context.

Dr. Idriss has been recognised within the Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant for his dedicated service to maternal and child health in N'Djamena. He is an active member of the Conseil National de l'Ordre des Médecins du Tchad and has been commended for his participation in outbreak response activities and his contributions to malaria and malnutrition management within the hospital's primary care services.