Pre Med Student Article- Congo Social Issues

Due to the many humanitarian crises occurring throughout the world, such as the Israeli-Palestinian war, the Ukraine War, and the Haitian Crisis, there is a grave issue being overlooked. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, there have been several outbreaks of serious diseases such as Malaria, Ebola, and Measles, and due to the immense poverty in the country has made it difficult for citizens to receive the proper medication. During 2023, there were 50,000 cases of Cholera, 28,000 cases of measles, and 4,000 cases of Monkeypox (Presse 2024). Due to this, many of these life-threatening diseases are left unattended. During the last six years, the Democratic Republic of Congo has found it challenging to access healthcare to deal with the country’s health issues.

Since Congo cannot access medical care, there is a shortage of healthcare workers and facilities to handle the issues in the country. Making it more difficult for the government to manage its medical problems, the country is also handling a resurgence of violence within its borders. Rebellions and civil issues have caused panic within the country as many citizens are victims of rapes and massacres, causing thousands of people to flee (Barlett 2024). Due to the already spreading of diseases, the unstable immigration of the populations causes the diseases plaguing the country to spread more rapidly. The Congolese government’s inability to ensure the stability and peace of their citizens ties into why their growing medical issues are going unattended. Not only are Congolese citizens suffering from medical problems, but most of them are starving. According to the article “Eastern DR Congo: Health system at breaking point warns WHO” published by the United Nations, around 26 million Congolese population is subject to food insecurity, the highest in the world.

Congo is in need of aid from stronger international powers who can provide humanitarian aid. The country’s current instability is a catalyst for the many health issues its citizens face. A vulnerable population is plagued with a detrimental amount of diseases that they are not adept at handling.

More eyes need to shift their focus to Congo as an alarming amount of deaths and injuries are occuring. If Congo does not receive help soon, the problems will rapidly worsen, which is why the World Health Organization shines a light on this tragedy.

Bibliography

Bartlett, K. (2024, February 16). Resurging violence in democratic republic of congo forces thousands to flee. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/02/16/1231931463/resurging-violence-in-democratic-republic-of-congo-forces-thousands-to-flee

Presse, A. F. (2024, March 22). Who sounds alarm on DR congo health crisis. Barron’s. https://www.barrons.com/news/who-sounds-alarm-on-dr-congo-health-crisis-ce02a487#

United Nations. (2023, June 30). Eastern DR congo: Health system at breaking point warns who | UN news. United Nations. https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1138252

Written By Luz Brea Polanco