Care in Africa has been the subject of many studies in the social sciences. Despite the wealth of existing work on this subject, one point remains insufficiently addressed: the materiality of care and its impact on patient-provider interactions. This article draws on Lussault and Akrich’s analyses to suggest that, in addition to other factors pointed out by the existing literature, the material dimensions of care carry a heavy weight. It proposes that difficult relations between patients and providers are the consequence of a constant need to adapt spaces of care, the desire to have some level of control over current activities by anticipating any discontinuities that might arise, and finally, the fatigue resulting from such ongoing work of adaptation and anticipation.