Healthcare in the DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the most difficult places in the world in which to access healthcare. The country is vast, roads are scarce and services are concentrated in the large cities, far from rural provinces such as Sankuru.
A shortage of health workers
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a critical shortage of qualified health workers in the DRC. According to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (2015), there is barely one physician for every 10,000 people, and fewer still in rural areas, because many health workers prefer urban postings.
The health of women and children
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for around 70% of maternal deaths worldwide (182,000 deaths in 2023, according to the WHO). In this context, a pregnancy or a complicated delivery without an operating theatre or a trained team nearby can be fatal for both mother and child.
Obstetric fistula and sexual violence
Fistulas result from poorly managed childbirth or from sexual violence. They leave a woman incontinent and often exclude her from her family and from society. Rape is used as a weapon of war in the DRC. The scourge mainly affects the east of the country, but it is present in every region where armed groups move, as in Sankuru. Very few surgeons are able to operate on these injuries, and women sometimes travel very long distances to be treated.
A fragile system in the face of epidemics
In 2022, Sankuru province recorded 618 cases of mpox in six months, including 10 deaths, with care limited by a lack of resuscitation facilities. International donor support had ended five years earlier, and care was funded from local resources (Gavi, 2022).
Local initiatives
Congolese leaders are working to change things, such as Dr Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, at Panzi Hospital. Otema Hospital is part of this movement, in the heart of the country.