Inside the Rutshuru hospital, DRC

The Rutshuru region in the southern part of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, is plagued by long-term conflict and instability. The humanitarian situation in this territory is extremely fragile, with recurring violence mainly related to the activities of armed opposition groups and inter-ethnic problems.

This instability results in massive population displacement and significant health issues: violence produces cases of trauma.

During the last three years hundreds of families have been displaced in the Bwito’s zone fleeing the fighting and, therefore, the needs in terms of humanitarian assistance remain crucial whilst only few actors are present in the area.

In Rutshuru, MSF supports three hospitals and five health facilities in services such as emergencies, pediatric nutrition, intensive care and surgery. MSF’s activities aim to provide care to the direct and indirect victims of the conflict.

In the first half of 2019, MSF teams assisted in the management of more than 1,400 cases of malnutrition and 1,857 surgeries in the Rutshuru General Referral Hospital.