Gabon is divided into nine provinces, which they are further subdivided into 50 departments. The president appoints the provincial governors, the prefects, and the subprefects.
Most of the health services of Gabon are public, but there are some private institutions, of which the best known is the hospital established in 1913 in Lambaréné by Albert Schweitzer. The hospital is now partially subsidized by the Gabonese government.
Education in Gabon is largely based on the French educational system. On the federal level, it is regulated by two Ministries: the Ministry of Education, which is in charge of pre-kindergarten through High School, and the Ministry of Higher Education and Innovative Technologies, which is in charge of universities and professional schools.