Dr. Khadijetou Mint Sidi

Dr. Khadijetou Mint Sidi is an internal medicine specialist at the CHUN de Nouakchott and one of a small group of women specialist physicians practising in Mauritania's capital. With 13 years of specialist experience, Dr. Mint Sidi has built expertise in the management of non-communicable diseases — particularly diabetes and its complications — which are increasing rapidly in Mauritania's urban population. Urbanisation in Nouakchott has been accompanied by significant lifestyle changes including increased consumption of sugary beverages, refined carbohydrates, and reduced physical activity, creating conditions for a growing epidemic of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension that are stretching Mauritania's health system. Dr. Mint Sidi's clinical practice manages the full spectrum of internal medicine, from managing acute complications of diabetes and hypertension — including ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar crisis, and hypertensive emergencies — to longer-term management of chronic kidney disease, heart failure, and thyroid disorders. She is also an important resource for Mauritanian women who are more comfortable consulting a female physician for sensitive health matters. She is involved in teaching at the Faculté de Médecine de Nouakchott and supervises internal medicine residents at the CHUN. Her bilingual competency in Arabic and French makes her accessible to Mauritania's Arabophone population and to international Francophone patients.

Dr. Mint Sidi completed her Doctorat en Médecine at the Faculté de Médecine de Nouakchott. She undertook specialist training in internal medicine at the Université Mohammed V's CHU Ibn Sina in Rabat, Morocco — a leading Arabophone academic medical centre with strong internal medicine training — earning her DES en Médecine Interne. She has participated in continuing medical education programmes on diabetes management through the International Diabetes Federation's Africa region network and has attended training on chronic kidney disease management through the African Association of Nephrology (AFRAN).

Dr. Mint Sidi's clinical expertise is centred on the management of diabetes and its complications — the most prevalent non-communicable disease in her patient population. She is skilled in managing diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar state, initiating and optimising insulin regimens, and managing diabetes complications including diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy screening protocols. She manages hypertensive crises and end-organ complications, cardiac failure using evidence-based therapy, and thyroid disorders including hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. She is experienced in managing chronic kidney disease including guidance on pre-dialysis management, and performs lumbar puncture for meningitis diagnosis and pleural aspiration for exudative effusions.

Dr. Mint Sidi contributed to a cross-sectional study on diabetes prevalence and glycaemic control in urban Nouakchott, published through the WHO Mauritania Country Office. She has contributed clinical data to the Société Mauritanienne de Médecine Interne's non-communicable disease registry and has presented at the Mauritania national health conference on improving diabetes management in the country's public hospital system.

Dr. Mint Sidi provides consultations in Arabic and French, serving Mauritania's bilingual professional and diplomatic community as well as international patients in Nouakchott including humanitarian workers and mining industry personnel. She is particularly valuable for Arabophone international patients who prefer consulting in Arabic and for Mauritanian patients returning from Arab Gulf states or Morocco for medical care at home. She provides comprehensive medical reports for patients seeking specialist second opinions in Morocco or France, and coordinates referrals for specialist investigations unavailable at the CHUN.

Dr. Mint Sidi was recognised by the Ordre National des Médecins de Mauritanie for her contributions to internal medicine training and for her advocacy for improving non-communicable disease care in Mauritania's public health system. She received an award from the Société Mauritanienne de Médecine Interne for her research contributions and was selected as Mauritania's representative to the International Diabetes Federation Africa region meeting.