Kinshasa, June 26th, 2025 (CPA) . – Ophthalmological and dermatological care for people with albinism was recommended to the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a conference on the theme ‘Access to healthcare for people with albinism’, held on Thursday in Kinshasa. « We organized this event to advocate to the authorities on behalf of this group of people. The aim of this activity is to achieve a level of ophthalmological and dermatological care, i.e. to reach the relevant authorities such as the Ministry in charge of Social Affairs, which is responsible for people living with disabilities, » said Eric Kasonga, national coordinator of the NGO Action for Albinism in Congo (Apa-DRC). For him, this care concerns not only eye and visual health but also skin health, as the majority of albinos die from skin cancer. The national coordinator of the NGO Apa-DRC took this opportunity to launch a project to set up a center for the manufacture of sun protection products such as sunscreen and sunblock so that people with albinism can walk in the sun without exposing themselves to harmful rays.
For his part, Dominique Mulamba, advisor in charge of care at the Ministry for People Living with Disabilities, said he was satisfied with the organization of this activity in support of the rights of people with albinism. ‘It is difficult for us to do anything without knowing what these people want. It is in workshops and conferences like this that we learn about realities that we were not aware of but which are essential to include in our action program,’ he said. He noted that this awareness-raising is very important for us and for those who do not know about albinism. ‘Opportunities like this allow us to fully understand the realities of their situation. As we often say, we learn something new every day,’ he said. ‘NGOs and civil society support the government in its development efforts, and it is within this framework that we will work together and see what we can incorporate,’ said Mr Mulamba.
Government support
Participants
In addition, Dr Pascal Tshisekedi, advisor to the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare, in charge of visual health, promised to forward the recommendations of this conference to the Minister of Health for appropriate solutions.
‘The Ministry in charge of Health is part of the government, and as we work within the government, we will take the reports of everything that has been said here and the minister responsible will entrust them to those who will deal with the issues to see how to remedy the situation and bring something positive to our brothers and sisters, particularly albinos,’ he said. ‘People with albinism are among those living with disabilities, but because of their eye and skin health, they are also of concern to the Ministry of Health, which will see what can be done as soon as possible,’ he reassured. This conference was organized on the occasion of World Albinism Awareness Day, celebrated on June 26th each year to combat discrimination and prejudice faced by this social group. It was organized by the NGO Apa-DRC, an association working to promote the rights of people with albinism through advocacy and awareness-raising.