Bunia, September 17th, 2026 (CPA).- A call for the construction of an Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Mungamba – a locality situated in the Komanda health zone of the Irumu territory in Ituri, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo – was made to the press on Thursday by the local civil society coordination group.
“To tell the truth, in Mungamba, there is no facility that treats confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease. Teams come and go after carrying out dignified and safe burials (DSB). That is why we are calling for an Ebola treatment centre to be set up in Mungamba,” has said Augustin Kasereka, the civil society coordinator for Mungamba.
He has argued that patients have to travel around 25 kilometres to Komanda, along a road in poor condition, to access specialist care.
“Imagine a patient who cannot afford a taxi. How will they reach the treatment centre to receive care? That is why you will find many deaths even in people’s homes, because they lack the means to get to the treatment centres,” he has lamented.
Mr Kasereka has also believed that transporting symptomatic patients over such a distance poses a risk to other road users and transport operators.
“For a patient showing symptoms, particularly diarrhoea and vomiting, travelling 25 kilometres in these conditions poses a very significant risk to the public and to the driver,” he has emphasised. Mr Kasereka has therefore called on the health authorities and response partners to consider setting up a treatment centre in Mungamba, in order to facilitate rapid access to care and reduce the number of deaths in the community caused by difficulties in travelling. CPA