Health system of the Democratic Republic of Congo

In the Democratic Republic of Congo from the time of colonization to the advent of independence health care was free for the entire population from the father to the children. This care was a right for the citizen and a duty for the State. Substantial resources were invested in hospitals and dispensaries to enable the population to access quality health services. Over the years workers have been faced with the situation of having to pay for all health care. (DRC 2006) The rate of access to health care varies between 40 and 50% according to a demographic and health survey conducted by the World Health Organization in 2007 and updated in 2009. Clearly more than 30 million Congolese do not have access to quality health care. In addition to these figures there is the dilapidated state of health infrastructures most of which were built during the colonial era and shortly after the DRC gained independence (WHO BTC 2007).