DR Congo Introduces Free Healthcare in Ebola-Affected Region

The government has introduced free healthcare for all illnesses in Ituri, the northeastern province at the epicenter of the country’s latest Ebola epidemic. The measure comes as health authorities struggle to contain the outbreak, with confirmed cases now surpassing 1,000.

Congolese Minister of Health, Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba, said the government intends to eventually scale up this “pilot project” into a nationwide initiative.

To limit further transmission of the virus, Kamba also announced a shift in patient management protocol, saying Ebola patients will soon no longer be admitted to general hospitals and will instead be routed directly to specialized treatment facilities.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has cautioned that the outbreak remains “serious” and is “evolving fast.” However, in a statement, WHO Africa’s emergency response manager, Marie-Roseline Darnycka Bélizaire, said that containment and response measures are “growing stronger every day”.