The Feb. 1 issue of Newsweek included a short article titled “Battling for Good Health in Congo,” which I thought needed a response. Here is the message I just emailed to Letters to the Editor. See what you think:
Mr. Sheridan, citing a study by Andrew Mack, names the Democratic Republic of Congo as an example of a country where NGO’s have worked “public health miracles” in the wake of war. While those of us who are currently doing medical and development work in Congo are thankful for every resource and every improvement in the health of the people, the article’s upbeat tone calls for a look at some hard realities:
The average life expectancy in Congo is 47 years (WHO 2008). Only 46% of the people have access to safe water (UNDP 2007), and 74% are not getting their daily food needs (World Bank 2007). Of children age 5 and under, 21% are acutely malnourished and 44% are chronically malnourished (stunted growth) (WHO website accessed 1/28/10).
IRIN news reported (12/22/09) that “the Democratic Republic of Congo is still among the worst countries in the world to be pregnant, despite a nationwide push to improve maternal, infant and childhood mortality rates.” The maternal mortality rate is 1,100 out of 100,000 (WHO 2009). UNICEF (1/7/10) estimates that “Congolese children under the age of five suffer at least six bouts of malaria each year. More than 90,000 children die of malaria each year.”
As for treated bed nets to prevent malaria (cited positively by Mr. Sheridan), it is true that UNICEF has been distributing these nets in the past year–5.5 million (UNICEF 10/1/09). But as of 2007 only 1% of Congo’s children slept under treated nets (WHO pub. 2009), so many more nets are still needed. Then there are the many women and girls violently raped in acts of war, the children forced to join militias, and the country’s medical infrastructure badly damaged as militias rampaged through much of the country.
In other words, the D.R. Congo still needs much assistance from the developed world. Four times as poor as Haiti, the people have no means to fix these problems themselves. “Battling for Good Health in Congo” is still a steep uphill fight; and money, volunteers, and other resources are still needed.
Sally
sally.johnson@paulcarlson.org
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