Local perceptions of community participation in health in Burkina Faso

Objective: Burkina Faso has been implementing a strategy of community participation in the health system for several years. The main objective of this strategy is to involve people in the decision-making process in order to improve the use of health services and to encourage massive support of communities for health promotion activities. Empirical data indicate a low involvement of communities in activities designed to promote participation. This article aims to identify the perceptions of local people in relation to community participation in health. Methods: The study was conducted in the Tenkodogo health district, located in the administrative region of East-Center, about 190 km from the capital. This exclusively qualitative study used two data collection methods: individual interviews and focus groups. Data were collected in two health areas. Results: The results show that communities have negative perceptions on the community participation in health strategy, which is perceived by the majority as a mechanism of exploitation of the population by health workers and members of health center management committees. Conclusions: These negatives perceptions of the participation strategy have a negative impact on the behaviour of communities, reflected by the very low participation rate in community activities. Urgent action is needed to revitalize the existing participation mechanisms.