News: The DRC is getting closer to Universal Health Coverage with the help of the World Bank
Thursday, June 8, the Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention, Roger Samuel Kamba, met the representative of the World Bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Albert Zeufack. The objective of this meeting was to discuss the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) of the Congolese.
Albert Zeufack confided after the exchange, describing it as “extremely technical”. He underlined that the exchange had offered them the opportunity to discover the vision of the Head of State Félix Antoine Tshisekedi focused on Universal Health Coverage. The entry points where the World Bank can provide support to the government to achieve the objectives of UHC were also discussed, in particular that of providing quality care to all Congolese.
To achieve this goal, several decisions were made. First of all, it will be necessary to reduce maternal and child mortality, then to continue the free childbirth programs already financed by projects such as the Health System Development Project (PDSS) which is coming to an end, but which should be extended in order to ensure the continuity of this free service. This extension will also make it possible to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
According to Albert Zeufack, a discussion on a costed UHC strategy will be possible in the coming days to allow the World Bank to support the government with new tools. The two men also discussed the possibility of future collaborations in certain fields, in particular that of nutrition.
It should be noted that free delivery care was initiated in twelve pilot provinces with funding from the World Bank through the Health System Development Project (PDSS).
In short, this meeting bears witness to the common desire of the DRC government and the World Bank to improve health in the country through Universal Health Coverage.