The context in which antenatal care is organised and practiced in the Bamako district has cast doubt on its efficacy. We conducted a survey in order to evaluate the quality of final prenatal consultations, using a sample of 169 expecting mothers selected amongst the patients of 4 family planning clinics in the Bamako district (Republic of Mali). Our investigation revealed that standard procedures are still unevenly carried out, although this is the last opportunity to detect and manage pregnancies with risk factors. Obstetrical results remained statistically similar both for the surveyed and non-surveyed women. However, any conclusions as to the efficacy of antenatal care must be drawn with caution given problems of confounding as well as the sampling method used in our survey.