SANRU (Primary Rural Health Care) is a non-governmental organization based on the Christian faith, headquartered in Kinshasa, DRC. SANRU ASBL has a long experience in the field of public health in the DRC. This dates back to 1981, three years after the concept of “health for all and by all” was launched at the ALMA ATA Conference by WHO. SANRU was among the first organizations to implement the project to create and revitalize health zones in the DRC for more than three decades. It is also a member of the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network.
Its areas of intervention;
COVID-19 has affected all areas of life nationally and internationally. In terms of health, the delivery of healthcare services has also been affected, in particular by the public health measures imposed to reduce the spread of the pandemic. Economically, we have witnessed the collapse of the economy and social capacity with an increase in the number of jobless families and the social consequence of increasing cases of gender-based violence, especially in urban areas.
SANRU Asbl as the main local partner of the Ministry of Health in the DRC has experienced the impact of the pandemic in all of its interventions in favor of the population:
The closure of borders and the reduction of international traffic has resulted in the delay of deliveries of essential drugs: Anti malaria, family planning supplies, anti-tuberculosis drugs and Anti-Retroviral drugs. The residual stocks resulting from the inventories of December 2019, had not made it possible to cover the needs of the health zones, resulting in the shortages observed for most of the medical and non-medical supplies necessary for community treatment.
The DRC is a vast territory and has significant financial and logistical risks which require regular monitoring of activities through the various projects implemented by SANRU Asbl. The confinement and the elimination of travel had the immediate effect of eliminating monitoring / supervision / evaluation missions, thus worsening the low attendance of health facilities by the community because of the fear and stigma induced by the poor communication observed in the community at the very beginning of the pandemic in DRC.
The pandemic was seen from the start as a disease of the West-DRC (Kinshasa) because all the cases that were identified were imported. This situation coupled with poor government communication fueled bad perceptions and beliefs in the community to the point of believing that the pandemic was not a reality.
COVID-19 pandemic has enabled the government and NGOs to identify weaknesses in the health care system and limited capacity to respond to pandemics and other humanitarian emergencies. This has been done through strengthening our system in order to make it more resilient by training staff and providing equipment to hospitals and health centers.
Guaranteeing the continuity of the supply of health care services to the community has been SANRU’s strategy during containment by mobilizing technical and financial partners to meet the needs of the population. Thus, through teleworking, the monitoring of activities was ensured through the representative offices scattered throughout 26 provinces. Strong involvement in communication both at the central and intermediary level through the media (official radio and television, community radio), social networks and community relays was done to bring the right information and gain community support.
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| Branding for COVID-19 sensitization in Kinshasa City | Face mask distribution in the local community |
COVID-19 gives us an opportunity to re-assess and re-evaluate the capacity of the human being to face serious crisis or challenges in isolation! Only a world full of love taken as a vast field where one of us must participate and play is role as ‘a world protecto’.
Solidarity, mutual consideration, love for one another and sense of sacrifice are qualities for a world which has the desire to have progress for all. Thus, we will have the capability to respond to the world needs where there are no poor or rich people alone. As we can uncover facing COVID-19, no one is stronger and no one is weaker. We are all equal when facing death, as we have the same rights when coming to this world at birth.
