Hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked to fight the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo are failing to reach the people who need them, according to a report from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The charity warns that the gap between disbursements and on‑ground delivery is widening, leaving frontline workers without the tools, training and pay they require.
Since the outbreak was declared in May, more than 5,400 people have died and 11,000 have been infected, making it the second deadliest Ebola epidemic on record. Yet MSF’s analysis shows that many responders are “trying to contain the outbreak with empty hands and empty pockets.”
MSF calls for stronger oversight by the Congolese government and United Nations agencies. The organization stresses that funds must be used to train, pay, equip and support personnel, and that resources should be directed to the areas of greatest need.
The charity’s findings echo concerns raised by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) last month, which reported that $700 million of the $962 million disbursed to Ebola response organisations was unaccounted for. Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya said the issue was a “major transparency and financial reporting failure” rather than outright embezzlement.
MSF’s report lists several critical shortcomings: healthcare workers not receiving salaries or training, ambulances running out of fuel, and a lack of supplies for frontline staff. It also highlights the existence of “surveillance teams that exist on paper but are nowhere to be seen on the ground.”
“Our teams are often left speechless by the dysfunctions they witness in many areas,” said MSF president Javid Abdelmoneim. “Six months into the response, this situation is simply unacceptable.”
Contact tracing—identifying and isolating people who have been exposed to the virus—is a key strategy to halt Ebola’s spread. However, MSF notes that surveillance remains deeply problematic, with two‑thirds of deaths occurring in communities rather than treatment centres. British epidemiologist Neil Ferguson estimates that more than half of cases go undetected, suggesting the outbreak could last another year.
MSF also warns that efforts are overly concentrated in some regions, leaving other urgent areas neglected. The response has been “too slow” in North Kivu province, while Haut‑Uélé has suffered from inadequate support.
In light of these findings, MSF urges immediate action to improve accountability, ensure proper training and payment of staff, and allocate resources where they are most needed. Without such reforms, the outbreak is likely to continue spreading and claiming lives at an alarming rate.
Source: BBC World
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