Kinshasa, June 10th, 2025 (CPA) – The Head of State, Félix Tshisekedi, announced on Tuesday the gradual implementation of compulsory health insurance in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to improve access for all, at the opening of the 12th Conference of Provincial Governors, in Kolwezi, in the province of Lualaba, in the south-east of the country. ‘As part of this drive, I am announcing the gradual implementation of compulsory health insurance (…) An inclusive social dialogue, conducted within the framework of the National Labor Council, has made it possible to define the terms of equitable contributions: 2% to be paid by employers and 0.5% by workers’, declared Félix Tshisekedi. He pointed out that men in uniform and civil servants are the privileged beneficiaries of this health program, in order to gradually move away from dependence on international aid. ‘This reform aims to broaden access to healthcare, strengthen household financial protection and mobilize domestic resources to reduce our dependence on international aid. Particular attention will be paid to certain vulnerable categories such as the armed forces, the police, civil servants and the needy. This is an act of social justice and recognition of those who protect our country’, he said.
According to the Congolese President, this decision is the result of the positive results produced by free maternity and newborn care, the first package of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program, principally the reduction in the maternal and infant mortality rate and the end of sequestration of patients for non-payment of hospitalization fees. Since September 2023, free maternal and neonatal care, the first CSU package, has been introduced in Kinshasa and then in other provinces. ‘2 million deliveries have been covered by the government, and 30,000 newborns and premature babies have benefited from care. Health facilities in 257 health zones have been mobilized. These efforts have put an end to the practice of kidnapping women and newborn babies for non-payment of fees, and have reduced maternal and neonatal mortality, as attested by studies carried out by the National Institute of Public Health and the School of Public Health in Kinshasa’, stated the President of the Republic.
The theme of this 12th session is of the utmost importance
‘The theme of this 12th session, Health, a factor in social cohesion and sustainable development in the provinces, is of vital importance to me, because health is not just a right, but the foundation of national cohesion, economic progress and sustainable development. It symbolizes our collective inspiration for social justice, human dignity and peace’, said the Head of State. He recalled that the disastrous situation of the Congolese health system, which still bears the scars of decades, is marked by health infrastructures that are often inadequate or even non-existent in some regions. ‘The lack of qualified staff, recurring epidemics such as cholera, malaria, measles, meningitis, HIV/AIDS and the Mpox epidemic, and difficulties in accessing healthcare, particularly in conflict zones, are still a cause for concern. Tragically, pregnant women, children and the elderly continue to bear the brunt of these shortcomings, as illustrated by the high maternal and infant mortality rates’, said President Tshisekedi. Hence, he added, the reason for the introduction, in 2021, of Universal Health Coverage, piloted by himself, and the creation of provincial committees to gradually guarantee equitable access to quality care for the population. CPA/