Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has raised concerns over the alleged failure to account for hundreds of millions of dollars allocated to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), warning that frontline health workers are going unpaid and lack essential supplies.
The medical charity, in a new report, said the Ebola outbreak remained out of control six months after the response began, with health workers facing inadequate training, poor working conditions and shortages of critical medical equipment.
It also reported that some ambulances had run out of fuel, while surveillance teams assigned to monitor the spread of the virus existed only on paper and were absent from affected communities.
According to the report, more than 5,400 people have died and about 11,000 others infected since the outbreak was declared in May, making it the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.
MSF called on the Congolese government and United Nations agencies to strengthen oversight and accountability to ensure that funds already released for the response were properly utilised.
The organisation said resources should be directed towards areas with the greatest needs, while frontline personnel must receive adequate training, salaries, equipment and logistical support.
The warning follows concerns raised last month by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), which disclosed that $700 million out of the $962 million disbursed to organisations implementing the Ebola response remained unaccounted for.
Africa CDC Director-General, Jean Kaseya, had cautioned against immediately describing the situation as embezzlement, saying it reflected a major failure in transparency and financial reporting.
DR Congo’s Health Minister, Samuel-Roger Kamba, also expressed concern over the lack of accountability among organisations receiving funds.
Kamba said aid agencies were required to submit details of their activities to enable the ministry to monitor their operations, but only 22 per cent had complied with the requirement.
“Our requirement is clear: transparency must be total. The response relies on a single plan, a single budget, and a single coordination,” the minister said in a post on X.
In its report, MSF said that despite the huge financial resources committed to containing the outbreak, many frontline responders were struggling without adequate funding and essential materials.
The organisation also criticised the concentration of response activities in certain locations while other areas with urgent needs remained neglected.
It specifically described the response in North Kivu Province as too slow, while Haut-Uélé Province remained significantly overlooked.
MSF said health facilities in the two provinces lacked essential supplies, including water, chlorine and proper triage systems, warning that some facilities had become potential centres of transmission rather than safe places for treatment.
The charity also raised concerns about weaknesses in contact tracing, a critical Ebola control measure that involves identifying and monitoring people who have come into contact with infected individuals.
It said surveillance remained deeply problematic despite resources allocated to the exercise, adding that about two-thirds of reported deaths were occurring in communities rather than treatment centres.
British epidemiologist Neil Ferguson was also quoted by Reuters as estimating that more than half of Ebola cases were going undetected, raising concerns that the outbreak could continue for another year.
The outbreak’s epicentre is in eastern DR Congo, a region that has experienced decades of conflict, with some affected areas under the control of armed rebel groups.
Poor road networks and insecurity have further complicated efforts to reach affected communities and deliver medical assistance.
The United Nations and the Congolese government also warned on Thursday that areas worst affected by Ebola were facing a severe food crisis, with nearly 10 million people in the region in urgent need of assistance.
The latest outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, has spread beyond DR Congo, with cases reported in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria.
However, Kenya recorded a major breakthrough on Wednesday after discharging its last Ebola patient, marking progress towards containing the disease in the East African country.
The Bundibugyo strain is relatively rare and currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, although clinical trials are ongoing.
