Dr. Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Cheikh

Dr. Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Cheikh is an internist at the Centre Hospitalier National de Nouakchott — Mauritania's main national hospital and primary referral facility in the capital. With 12 years of clinical experience, he provides internal medicine specialist care in one of West Africa's more remote healthcare systems.

Mauritania straddles the Sahara and sub-Saharan zones, and its disease profile reflects this geographic position. Malaria — predominantly seasonal in the rainy season — remains a significant concern, particularly in the south near the Senegal River valley. Tuberculosis is endemic, with rates elevated by poor housing conditions in urban Nouakchott. Typhoid fever and waterborne disease are prevalent in a country where clean water access remains limited. Simultaneously, the Mauritanian adult population has a growing burden of hypertension and type 2 diabetes, and chronic liver disease from viral hepatitis B and C is common.

Dr. Ould Cheikh completed specialist training in Morocco or Senegal — common regional training pathways for Mauritanian physicians — and returned to serve at the CHN Nouakchott. He consults in Hassaniya Arabic, Wolof, and French.

Dr. Ould Cheikh completed his Doctorat en Médecine at the Université de Nouakchott, Mauritania's principal medical training institution. He completed his specialist training in Internal Medicine through a DES (Diplôme d'Études Spécialisées) program at a partner institution in Morocco or Senegal — reflecting the established West African and Francophone African pathway for specialist training in countries with limited domestic postgraduate medical education capacity.

He is registered with the Ordre National des Médecins de Mauritanie and holds continuing education credits from WHO and PAHO-supported training programs on malaria case management, tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment, and non-communicable disease management relevant to the Mauritanian health context.

Dr. Ould Cheikh's internal medicine practice covers malaria case management (rapid diagnostic testing, artemisinin-combination therapy, severe malaria management with IV artesunate), tuberculosis diagnosis and DOTS therapy including extrapulmonary TB, typhoid fever management with fluoroquinolone or cephalosporin therapy, and hepatitis B and C assessment and treatment. His chronic disease practice covers hypertension with antihypertensive regimens, type 2 diabetes with oral agents and insulin, and chronic liver disease monitoring. He performs lumbar puncture, pleural tap, and IV medication management.

Centre Hospitalier National de Nouakchott serves the Mauritanian domestic population and occasional international aid workers, development sector staff, and UN and diplomatic personnel based in Nouakchott. Dr. Ould Cheikh consults in French and Arabic, the two languages most widely used among international patients in Mauritania.

For complex medical cases requiring specialist investigations or subspecialist expertise beyond CHN Nouakchott's current capacity — advanced cardiology, oncology, nephrology, or neurology — referrals are coordinated to specialist centers in Morocco, Senegal, or France, which are the primary medical evacuation destinations for seriously ill Mauritanian patients. International patients requiring travel medical clearance or pre-deployment medical evaluation can access these services through the hospital's outpatient department.

Dr. Ould Cheikh is a registered member of the Ordre National des Médecins de Mauritanie and has been recognized by Centre Hospitalier National de Nouakchott for his sustained contributions to internal medicine service development over his 12-year career. He received acknowledgment from CHN's clinical leadership for his role in improving malaria and tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment protocols at the hospital.

He participates in the national tuberculosis control program and has contributed to WHO Mauritania Country Office data collection on malaria, TB, and NCD burden. He contributes to teaching medical students and clinical trainees at the Université de Nouakchott Faculty of Medicine and has been acknowledged for his role in internal medicine resident supervision.