DRC: More than 200 health centers running out of medicines, warns the ICRC

The organization reviewed 240 health facilities in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, hard hit by the offensive of the rebel movement M23, backed by Rwanda. This military advance, which began earlier this year, has further worsened a humanitarian crisis already considered one of the most severe in the world.

“The lives of thousands of people are at stake,” warned François Moreillon, head of the ICRC delegation in the DRC, at a press conference. According to him, essential medicines to treat malaria, HIV or tuberculosis are in desperately short supply. And even when supplies are available, their delivery is blocked by fighting and the impossibility of crossing front lines.

Many NGOs have also scaled back their activities or suspended their programs in the region due to lack of funding. “More than 80% of health facilities in the Kivus no longer receive any humanitarian support. They continue to operate solely thanks to the exceptional dedication of their staff,” Mr. Moreillon added.

The situation is made all the more critical by the fact that nearly half of the facilities lack healthcare workers, many of whom have fled the combat zones. For several decades, eastern Congo, despite being rich in mineral resources, has been devastated by clashes among more than a hundred armed groups, including the M23. This year, the rebels took control of strategic cities such as Goma and Bukavu, further deepening the population’s distress.

Estimates suggest that around 3,000 people have died since the start of the year and nearly 7 million have been displaced. Despite some peace efforts, fighting continues in places, and civilians continue to pay a heavy price.