We treat 5400 people a month, says Head of Mission in DRC

What are the most common health problems in Kitutu area?

The most common health problems in Kitutu, as in the rest of DRC are malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infections, IST, malnutrition. These are mainly linked to poor awareness of hygiene and health issues which mean that a lot of people don’t understand the importance of using mosquito nets, drinking clean water, having safe sex and eating a varied diet. 

What is the biggest problem in providing healthcare there?

There are lots of problems. One main problem is a lack of motivation amongst healthcare staff like doctors and nurses. This is because they receive no salary from the government so they have little incentive to provide quality care to patients, or even to turn up to work on time. Another problem is local beliefs in traditional medicine. For certain illnesses or problems, many people still believe that traditional medicine is more effective, so they often consult a traditional healer before going to a health centre or hospital. This delay can sometimes be very dangerous in the case of serious illnesses.

What are the options people can use to treat themselves?

Automedication is very common. There are lots of unlicensed pharmacies operating in the area where we work. They sell drugs which are expired, or not kept in appropriate conditions. They also aren’t able to ensure that the drugs come from authorised sources. This is where many people buy their drugs if they can’t afford to go to a health centre to pay for a consultation. They often don’t understand the dangers associated with automedication, and the pharmacies can’t provide qualified advice, so it is common to meet people who regularly take anti-biotic medicines for problems such as colds and malaria, which aren’t recommended.  

How you support the health centers? What they need most?

With financial support from DG ECHO (European Comission) we support 22 health centres with drugs and equipment. We pay a small monthly salary to the staff which enables them to provide free healthcare to vulnerable families such as internally displaced persons, without which they would have to charge for their services and many people would not be able to afford the care. We also have our own team of professional medical supervisors who visit the health centers regularly to provide advcie and guidance to the local staff in order to improve the quality of care that they provide to patients. These are the most important needs of the health centers. When a health centre doesn’t have drugs for its patients, then people no longer come for treatment and can go elsewhere such as to traditional healers.

How many patients do you treat monthly?

We treat on average 5400 people a month. 

Is it possible to count on cooperation with state? How the goverment of DRC supports your activity?

The DRC government is quite active in the area of health, and is slowly increasing it’s financial support. For example, doctors are now paid by the state. We work closely with provincial and local health offices in order to improve their management capacity and to utilise the expertise which they have. However there’s still a lot to be done. Without paying the nurses and providing drugs, the health zones will always be dependent on external support.

Do you also focus on women and post a pre-natal activities?

This is one of our main project objectives. In a previous ECHO funded project we built special covered spaces next to health centres where women could meet for their pre and post natal consultations and advice sessions. We provide special drugs and equipment for these activities, for example weighing scales for weighing children in order to monitor their development and record any problems early. 

What are the biggest problems in these activities?

The biggest problem is making women understand the importance of attending regulalry the pre and post natal sessions, which is necessary to change their behaviour. For example, a woman who already has 5 or 6 children doesn’t always think that there’s anything else that she can learn about keeping her child healthy, and as a result might not remember to get her child vaccinated or to breast-feed exclusively during the first 6 months of life.  

Can you mention some concrete stories of people you help?

As a result of our activities we’re able to provide medical care for women who have fallen victim to attack and have been raped. For confidentiality reasons I can’t mention her name, but one girl of fifteen came to one of the health centers which we support after having been raped by a government soldier. The nurse was able to provide her with antibiotics, and anti-retrovirals which would prevent her from contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. Because of a second project which we supported from People In Need’s Club of Friends, she was able to access psycho-social counselling from a local authority to help her to deal with her experiences. 

Is you work dangerous? Have you personally ever been attacked?

No, I have never personally been attacked. Whilst the DRC is known to be a dangerous country, and there are still many rebel groups operating in the areas where we work, as humanitarian workers we are not usually a target for their attacks. However, it does mean that we have to monitor the security situation carefully, and if it does become dangerous then we have to suspend our activities for a while until the area becomes safe again. 

Now you are at the end of your mission. What was your biggest success in DRC?

It’s so hard to say. We’ve had lots of successful activities, and it’s easy to mention the concrete things like the schools and health centers that we’ve built, but I think the biggest success has been the teachers and nurses that we’ve been able to motivate. We’ve organised trainings for them and sometimes we meet a teacher who’s been teaching for 30 years but this is the first training he’s ever received. As a result they understand the importance of their work and become motivated to continue doing a good job despite their poor pay. For me this is so important as these people will continue long after our projects end. But it’s a long process and a lot more needs to be done to help them to stand on their own feet. 

PIN in DRC 

People in Need established its permanent mission in the Democratic Rebublic of Congo in January 2009 thanks to the financial support of the Czech Republic. With projects focused on improving access to safe drinking water, better quality healthcare and education and support for victims of sexual violence, PIN operates in the province of South Kivu in the East of the country. Mortality rates in eastern DRC continue to be above emergency thresholds; in the last years, millions of people have died in excess of the normal baseline mortality rates for sub-Saharan countries. People in Need focuses on reconstructing of healthcare facilities, providing basic equipment including medication, raising awareness about the most pressing healthcare issues and training local medical personnel.

ECHO Humanitarian Aid

The Humanitarian Aid department of the European Commission funds relief operations for victims of natural disasters and conflicts outside the European Union. Aid is channelled impartially, straight to victims, regardless of their race, ethnic group, religion, gender, age, nationality or political affiliation.