13 Million Lives: Scaling Health Equity Across Communities

In May 2025, the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire launched CMU+ (Couverture Maladie Universelle+), a nationwide initiative offering fully free care at rural health centers for all individuals in the informal sector enrolled in the national health insurance program, regardless of premium payment status. Initially designed as time-limited trial, in Q3 the government extended the program until further notice, marking a powerful commitment to universal health access and equity, following advocacy efforts by Muso and inspired by our model. 

Designed to reduce maternal and child mortality while strengthening the financial sustainability of the health system, CMU+ has expanded free health care access to more than 13 million people, particularly those in the informal sector and rural communities. Our technical assistance team is now working alongside government partners to ensure the program’s success and to help build the case for sustained government funding beyond 2025. At the same time, we are supporting professional Community Health Workers (proCHWs) to lead on access at Muso-supported sites, conducting door-to-door outreach to connect and enroll patients who face the greatest inequities for CMU+. 

The coming years will be both intense and critical as we support the government in delivering quality care for 13 million people through universal health coverage in Côte d’Ivoire. 

Early data from the beginning of Q3 show powerful shifts in health-seeking behavior nationwide: 

Clinic visits by insured CMU users QUADRUPLED, rising from 36,811 visits in April 2025 to 157,386 visits in July 2025. 

Coverage of services under CMU expanded significantly, growing from 3.6% to 14%, indicating broader uptake of essential care, over the same period. 

Pharmacy utilization also surged: medication vouchers issued to insured patients rose from a weekly average of 3,100 (January–April 2025) to 13,500 (May–July 2025), a 4.3x INCREASE. 

These early results confirm a foundational principle of Muso’s approach: removing financial barriers dramatically improves access to care, especially in rural areas, and could be a key accelerator toward universal health coverage in Côte d’Ivoire. The CMU+ program represents a promising and scalable model for reducing delays in care, improving health outcomes, and enhancing overall health system efficiency.