Kwilu: handover of a batch of blood transfusion kits to Bandundu Hospital

Bandundu, May 14^th, 2026 (CPA).- A large batch of blood transfusion kits and equipment, donation from the central government, has been delivered on Thursday during a ceremony at the General Reference Hospital (HGR) in Bandundu, in the chief town of Kwilu province, in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “The central government has provided hospitals with blood transfusion equipment to support universal health coverage (UHC). Faced with the difficulties involved in transporting them to the city of Bandundu and concerned for the well-being of the people I represent in the National Assembly, I have personally taken charge of their delivery in order to reduce, even slightly, the barriers to access to quality care,” has declared Eric, a national deputy elected from Bandundu.  “Admittedly, several difficulties still remain regarding medical supplies, but we will continue to fight to gradually meet the needs of our people,” he has specified.  For him, this consignment—which consists notably of laboratory and analysis equipment, blood storage equipment, and solar panels to power the devices—is estimated to cost over 30,000 US dollars.  Furthermore, the elected representative from Bandundu has committed to pay the medical and hospitalisation costs of patients admitted to the emergency department of this hospital.  “I am committed to bear the medical and hospitalisation costs of patients in the emergency department; this is part of my support for people who are none other than my constituents in distress,” he has said.  For his part, Dr Jean-Paul Matela, head of the Kwilu provincial health division, has welcomed the deputy’s commitment in the improvement of the local healthcare system. “This initiative is in line with the vision of the Head of State, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who has made universal health coverage (UHC) his flagship policy, particularly through free maternity care across the entire country. To make this free service effective, it is essential to have blood that has been properly tested, is safe and is stored under the right conditions in order to save lives, particularly those of pregnant women and new-borns,” he has said.