Ebola in the DRC: How Goma’s Wellness Clinic Fights Distrust
The Wellness Clinic in Goma, DRC, is struggling with a 20% decline in patient visits due to public fear and distrust surrounding the ongoing Ebola outbreak. Healthcare workers emphasize that building community trust is as vital as medical intervention in managing the crisis.
Why it matters
The report illustrates how public health crises create secondary impacts on essential healthcare services, complicating disease containment efforts.
The Ebola outbreak has changed daily care at the Wellness Clinic, Jericho Road’s clinic in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, even though the clinic has not received a confirmed Ebola case. The clinic provides essential health services for patients in the region, including primary care, a surgery center, and a birthing ward.
The effect of Ebola in the region has been indirect on the clinic, but damaging. Clinic staff reported a roughly 20% decline in patient visits early in the outbreak. Many patients, they said, were afraid to enter the health system because of widespread distrust.
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