As the DRC emerges from an 18-month Ebola outbreak, the Coronavirus poses another threat to the country’s already crippled healthcare system. Together we must respond quickly to help the most vulnerable.
As the Coronavirus sweeps the globe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is set to be one of the worst affected countries in Africa, according to the United Nations. The DRC is only just emerging from an 18-month Ebola outbreak, and now Coronavirus cases are increasing fast, resulting in another health crisis.
Efforts to rid the deadly Ebola from the DRC have left the country’s healthcare system crippled, leaving children and families vulnerable to other diseases such as measles, cholera and polio. Since early 2019, measles cases have surged and more than 5,300 children under the age of five have died.
With major shortages in resources, from hospital access to medical equipment and with just one doctor and four nurses for every 10,000 people, the DRC is drastically ill-prepared to deal with another pandemic. With minimal resources and frequent outbreaks of diseases depleting these further, healthcare workers in the DRC are facing an alarming situation as Coronavirus cases grow.
Whilst the official figures suggest a relatively low number of cases in the DRC, the real figures are believed to be much higher, and the influx of Coronavirus patients is only just beginning.
Monkole Hospital is on the frontline of the pandemic in the DRC
Our local partner Monkole Hospital in Kinshasa is the reference hospital for ISSI school of nursing. And is one of the hospitals chosen by the government to treat Coronavirus patients. The hospital started receiving its first Coronavirus patients in April 2020.
Monkole Hospital is already facing serious shortages of even the most basic equipment they will need to fight the virus. Staff have had to create makeshift masks with tissue paper and elastic bands, and will soon run out of soap, hand sanitizers, alcohol and medication. Currently, the government is unable to supply them with these vital materials needed to stop the spread of the virus, protect their staff and care for the sick.
Help Monkole Hospital stay one step ahead of the Coronavirus and protect the most vulnerable
Monkole Hospital and its staff are working bravely to protect the most vulnerable in their community, but they need our help. We have set up an emergency fund to help buy the essential equipment they need to manage the pandemic, as well as food and protective equipment for their staff.
To turn to the words of UN secretary general; ”There should only be one fight in the world today: our shared battle against Coronavirus”. It is a bare minimum that nurses, doctors and other hospital staff have the essential tools they need to deal with this global health crisis.
Your support during this time is crucial. Your donation will help to provide the urgent financial support Monkole Hospital needs to cope with the Coronavirus outbreak in DRC and to save the lives of those most vulnerable.
