Kinshasa, May 7th, 2026 (CPA).– An urgent mobilization has been requested by the emergency humanitarian medical organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in response to the healthcare breakdown in South-Kivu province, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a statement received by CPA on Thursday. “The national health programs aimed at combating malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, malnutrition and vaccination are no longer functioning effectively in many areas due to security and logistical constraints, as well as the withdrawal of funding,” explained Issa Moussa, MSF Head of Mission in South-Kivu, quoted in the statement. “Primary healthcare centers, often deprived of paid staff and essential medicines, are unable to meet the actual needs,” he added. According to the source, in a context of prolonged conflict and the gradual disengagement of health actors, access to healthcare in South-Kivu province is deteriorating dangerously. In Minova, for example, in Kalehe territory, the suspension of World Bank funding through the Multisectoral Nutrition and Health Program (PMNS) has had immediate consequences on access to life-saving care, particularly for pregnant women and newborns. Shortages of medicines, vaccines and nutritional supplies are now affecting the majority of health zones in the province. In 2025, measles vaccines were unavailable for several months despite active epidemics in 24 out of the province’s 34 health zones, the document added.
Minova: obstetric and neonatal care becoming out of reach
Furthermore, MSF pointed out that the Minova health zone illustrates this crisis in an alarming manner. “Since the suspension of World Bank funding through the Multisectoral Nutrition and Health Program (PMNS) and the end of support from certain partners at the beginning of 2026, the Minova General Referral Hospital (HGR) has introduced new fees for obstetric and neonatal care: up to USD 100 for a caesarean section and USD 50 for the care of a premature newborn,” the source added. According to the NGO, the consequences are immediate and dramatic, as some women remain hospitalized for days or weeks without being able to pay, while others simply forgo treatment and resort to high-risk home deliveries. Following the end of World Bank support, and according to HGR data, maternity attendance in January and February 2026 dropped by nearly 34% compared to 2025. Faced with this situation, the medical organization had to maintain its support to Minova General Referral Hospital in order to avoid a brutal disruption of healthcare services, notably by resuming maternity and neonatology activities since March 2026. During this first month of support in March, MSF teams assisted 107 deliveries, including 48 caesarean sections, and admitted 41 children to neonatology services. MSF called on donors to reconsider the financial disengagement from the health sector in South-Kivu in order to ensure access to and continuity of primary and secondary healthcare services. In South-Kivu, MSF runs regular projects in the health zones of Minova and Bunyakiri, where the organization notably supports primary and secondary healthcare and can deploy mobile emergency teams throughout the province in response to health crises.