Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Great Potential in Healthcare Industry

 With over two decades of conflict, DRC went through much damage to its infrastructure despite the great wealth and resources. Now, as calm and peace is taking effect, the government and the people of DRC are determined to build their country to a stable, economically endowed and prosperous nation. It is evident that healthy population is a key pillar in achieving that kind of a nation.

DRC has an estimated population of 85 million people as at July 2018 with 63% of the population being under the age of 24 and another 31% being between 25 – 54 years. This clearly shows that DRC is made up of a generally young population of productive ages. This is the population that must remain healthy to build the country to a latter glory. Remaining healthy is paramount for the rebuilding of the nation.

Being an investor, Jayesh Saini says there is great potential in healthcare industry –in development of infrastructure for pharmaceutical manufacturing, healthcare service delivery and also in providing health insurance solutions. He had observed that there is need for and willingness by the government to partner with private entities to boost healthcare development in the country, noting that many citizens of DRC travel to Kenya and other African countries to seek for health services which do not warrant such travel and could be easily availed if the infrastructure was developed.

The DRC economy has been growing steadily despite the previous adversities and having a world standard of healthcare system will easily attract foreign capital investment due to observed development and security resulting from a determined people to build their country. Currently, most of the medical services are provided by the government in a three-level system. Jayesh observes that as much as the government is doing a commendable job, there is a dire need for specialty and higher levels of health facilities to meet the health requirements of the country. He also noted that there is a great need for health workers especially nurses and doctors. This can be boosted by developing incentives to retain trained personnel and also through increased facilities. He believes encouraging more private sector participation is one way the needs can be met.

As the infrastructure is being developed, Saini says it is important to make the health financing more robust as currently about 40% of financing is done by individuals. With lack of strong insurance coverage, people rely on out of pocket payments, yet many individuals cannot afford and therefore avoid health facilities making health outcomes poor. The other source of financing is humanitarian assistance based foreign aid that normally targets outbreaks or specific diseases such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS and TB which have global funding. It should be observed that besides the outbreaks of Ebola, DRC health issues are easily treatable or manageable as they are mainly malaria, diarrheal diseases, malnutrition, lower respiratory tract infections, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. It should also be noted that the country still needs continued therapy for post trauma (war) related mental health complications and conditions.