Rubaya returnees face new barrier: healthcare access in Masisi

In Rubaya, a mining town in Masisi territory (North Kivu), families who recently returned after conflict-driven displacement say they are struggling to access basic healthcare largely because they cannot afford consultations and medicines. Some residents report staying home while sick or turning to self-medication, a trend local health workers describe as increasingly risky actualite reports.

Cost is keeping patients away from the clinic

Returnees interviewed in Rubaya describe a daily reality shaped by economic insecurity: choosing between food and medical care. Several said they avoid health facilities altogether because they expect they will not be able to pay after a consultation especially if treatment requires multiple prescriptions.

At the Rubaya Reference Health Center, staff say they are seeing fewer patients than expected despite persistent needs. Gabriel Kundabose, a community liaison and deputy secretary of the local Health Committee (COSA), links the drop in attendance to out-of-pocket costs. He says “community participation” in paying for care has fallen sharply, and that many patients delay treatment until conditions worsen.

Health workers in Rubaya warn that when people avoid clinics, illnesses often go undiagnosed and untreated. Returnees interviewed in the report described relying on home treatment and traditional healers without prior testing or medical guidance an approach clinicians say can delay proper care, complicate infections, and increase preventable deaths.

This pattern is not unique to Rubaya. Across parts of North and South Kivu, humanitarian reporting has repeatedly flagged how non-functional facilities, looting, supply gaps, and limited electricity constrain service delivery especially in areas where families are trying to return and rebuild. For example, OCHA has documented that in several return areas of Masisi, health facilities have remained damaged or under-equipped, with shortages of supplies and basic infrastructure.

The “return phase” is exposing a new frontline

For many communities, returning home is often treated as a sign that the crisis is easing. But Rubaya illustrates a harsher truth: return does not automatically mean recovery.

When health access depends on user fees, the return phase can quickly become a second emergency one defined by untreated disease, worsening maternal and child health outcomes, and preventable complications. The ICRC has warned that health facilities in eastern DRC have faced serious strain, including medicine shortages and staffing gaps, as violence and insecurity disrupt supply routes and overwhelm services.

Conflict dynamics still shape the health crisis

Rubaya sits in a wider conflict environment where armed groups including M23 have been active and where control of strategic areas can shift. Even when frontlines move away from a town, the aftereffects remain: destroyed livelihoods, interrupted markets, and reduced household income all of which directly affect whether families can pay for treatment.

Regionally, Kinshasa has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing M23, while Rwanda has denied supporting the group. International reporting has also addressed these allegations: UN sanctions reporting mechanisms for the DRC have published expert reports related to armed groups and regional dynamics.

For civilians, the practical consequence is clear: prolonged insecurity and repeated displacement undermine health systems and household finances at the same time leaving returnees exposed when they come back.

Local authorities appeal for emergency support

Faced with falling clinic attendance and growing concern about untreated illness, local health authorities in Rubaya are calling on humanitarian organizations to reinforce facilities with essential medicines and supplies. The aim, according to the report, is to make care free or subsidized for the most vulnerable particularly returnee families with little or no income.

Kundabose urged NGOs “driven by a spirit of solidarity” to support returnees by enabling free access to care, arguing it would significantly improve public health outcomes.

What happens next

If emergency support does not arrive quickly, health workers say Rubaya risks a cycle where delayed treatment becomes the norm raising the likelihood of severe cases, higher costs later, and avoidable deaths. A targeted response subsidized services, essential drug stocks, and community outreach could help stabilize access while longer-term recovery efforts rebuild livelihoods.

Source : Actualite cd