As Ebola cases in the northeastern province of Ituri climb past 1,000, the government has rolled out free healthcare for all illnesses there, a sweeping move aimed at bolstering an overburdened response at the epicenter of the country’s latest epidemic.
Congolese Minister of Health, Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba, described the initiative as a “pilot project” that the government ultimately plans to expand nationwide.
In a bid to curb transmission, Kamba also unveiled a new care protocol: Ebola patients will soon be directed straight to specialized treatment centers rather than admitted to general hospitals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned the situation remains “serious” and is “evolving fast.” Even so, WHO Africa’s emergency response manager, Marie-Roseline Darnycka Bélizaire, said in a statement that containment and response measures are “growing stronger every day”.
