Volume 43, Issue 1, July 2024, Pages 70–81
Innocent Batumike1, Serge Kambale2, Samuel Lwamushi Makali3, Rosine Nshobole Bigirinama4, and Hermès Karemere5
1 Ecole Régionale de Santé Publique, Université Catholique de Bukavu, Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
2 Sciences infirmières, Institut des techniques médicales de Rutshuru, Rutshuru, Nord-Kivu, RD Congo
3 Ecole Régionale de Santé Publique, Université Catholique de Bukavu, Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
4 Ecole Régionale de Santé Publique, Université Catholique de Bukavu (UCB), Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
5 Ecole régionale de Santé Publique, Université catholique de Bukavu, Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2024 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Introduction: In DR Congo, healthcare provision is characterized by the anarchic emergence of medical facilities and the medicalization of front-line healthcare structures. In urban areas, healthcare services are still poorly organized, despite the establishment of Health Zone organization and operating standards. In Bukavu, as elsewhere in the country, this situation arises against a backdrop of urbanization and galloping demographics, creating new healthcare needs for the population. The aim of this study was to analyze the organization of hospital care provision in the city of Bukavu. Methodology: The study conducted is of an exploratory cross-sectional type using documentary review, key informant interviews and geolocation of hospital structures from August 05, 2021 to October 30, 2021 in the city of Bukavu in DR Congo. Data from the complementary package of activities (PCA) and the geolocation of hospital facilities were collected to produce the mapping. Geolocation information was processed in QGIS software version 3.28 to produce a current health map of hospital structures. Results: We observed an anarchic proliferation of hospital structures and a medicalization of front-line health facilities, nearly half of which offer an incomplete package of complementary activities that do not meet the standards established in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 39% have been set up over the last 5 years (2016-2021) in a context of weak regulation and control by Congolese government services. The majority of hospitals in Bukavu offer the same type of services. They are essentially privately owned (50.3%), denominational/church-owned (21.1%), 13.6% are managed by non-governmental organizations and only 12.6% are under the direct management of the Congolese state. Conclusion: The supply of hospital care in Bukavu is plethoric and seems to pursue profit-making goals without necessarily meeting the real needs of the population. Re-regulating the organization of hospital care and providing technical and financial support to the health system could help to improve it in Bukavu.
Author Keywords: Hospital analysis, Healthcare provision, Performance, Standards, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Innocent Batumike1, Serge Kambale2, Samuel Lwamushi Makali3, Rosine Nshobole Bigirinama4, and Hermès Karemere5
1 Ecole Régionale de Santé Publique, Université Catholique de Bukavu, Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
2 Sciences infirmières, Institut des techniques médicales de Rutshuru, Rutshuru, Nord-Kivu, RD Congo
3 Ecole Régionale de Santé Publique, Université Catholique de Bukavu, Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
4 Ecole Régionale de Santé Publique, Université Catholique de Bukavu (UCB), Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
5 Ecole régionale de Santé Publique, Université catholique de Bukavu, Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2024 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Introduction: In DR Congo, healthcare provision is characterized by the anarchic emergence of medical facilities and the medicalization of front-line healthcare structures. In urban areas, healthcare services are still poorly organized, despite the establishment of Health Zone organization and operating standards. In Bukavu, as elsewhere in the country, this situation arises against a backdrop of urbanization and galloping demographics, creating new healthcare needs for the population. The aim of this study was to analyze the organization of hospital care provision in the city of Bukavu. Methodology: The study conducted is of an exploratory cross-sectional type using documentary review, key informant interviews and geolocation of hospital structures from August 05, 2021 to October 30, 2021 in the city of Bukavu in DR Congo. Data from the complementary package of activities (PCA) and the geolocation of hospital facilities were collected to produce the mapping. Geolocation information was processed in QGIS software version 3.28 to produce a current health map of hospital structures. Results: We observed an anarchic proliferation of hospital structures and a medicalization of front-line health facilities, nearly half of which offer an incomplete package of complementary activities that do not meet the standards established in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 39% have been set up over the last 5 years (2016-2021) in a context of weak regulation and control by Congolese government services. The majority of hospitals in Bukavu offer the same type of services. They are essentially privately owned (50.3%), denominational/church-owned (21.1%), 13.6% are managed by non-governmental organizations and only 12.6% are under the direct management of the Congolese state. Conclusion: The supply of hospital care in Bukavu is plethoric and seems to pursue profit-making goals without necessarily meeting the real needs of the population. Re-regulating the organization of hospital care and providing technical and financial support to the health system could help to improve it in Bukavu.
Author Keywords: Hospital analysis, Healthcare provision, Performance, Standards, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
How to Cite this Article
Innocent Batumike, Serge Kambale, Samuel Lwamushi Makali, Rosine Nshobole Bigirinama, and Hermès Karemere, “Analysis of hospital care provision in the urban health zones of Bukavu, DR Congo,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 70–81, July 2024.
