More than 80% of health facilities in eastern Congo are out of medicine, Red Cross says

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KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Over 200 health facilities in eastern Congo are experiencing shortages of medicines as a result of fighting in the region and a lack of humanitarian funding, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday.

The Red Cross said it assessed 240 health centers and clinics in North and South Kivu, two provinces where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels made an unprecedented advance earlier this year, further deepening one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

The difficulties in crossing front lines in the war-hit regions have prevented health facilities from getting access to medicine, even when it is available, the ICRC said.

“The lives of thousands of people are at stake,” due to the shortage of essential medicine against malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and other diseases, François Moreillon, the head of the ICRC’s delegation in Congo, said during a news conference Wednesday.

Many humanitarian organizations supporting health facilities in the region have been forced to reduce their work or shutdown because of a lack of funding, he added.

“Currently, more than 80 per cent of health facilities in the Kivu provinces receive no support from humanitarian partners and are only operational thanks to the remarkable commitment of their staff on both sides of the front lines,” Moreillon said.

Many health workers have also fled the war-torn regions, leading to staff shortages in almost half of the facilities assessed by the ICRC, according to the organization.

Congo’s mineral-rich east has long been battered by fighting involving more than 100 armed groups including the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The rebels seized the provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu earlier this year, escalating the decades-old conflict.

The rebels' advance has killed some 3,000 people this year and worsened what was already one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with around 7 million people displaced. While fighting has largely decreased as a result of peace efforts, there are still clashes and civilians are still being killed.