Some 28,000 people perished in the 1st half of 2024 in North Kivu province, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, due to the lack of blood and lack of access to blood, according to Provincial Blood Transfusion Center (CPTS).
The region, notorious for its perpetual state of strife, suffers not only from armed groups’ violence, but also from a severe lack of medical services.
The blood shortage has primarily killed two groups: people injured by gunshot during fighting and women suffering from bleeding difficulties during childbirth, CPTS coordinator Liliane Bwiza said.
North Kivu is rife with armed conflicts, including continuing warfare between the Congolese army and militias from the March 23 Movement, among other parties.
This context of heightened violence has resulted in an increase in medical needs, particularly for blood transfusion.
Bwiza stated that the region urgently requires 78,000 blood bags, but just 42,000 are now available.
This significant imbalance not only emphasizes the severity of the region’s humanitarian catastrophe, but also the logistical and security challenges that prevent an effective medical response.
The international community and relief organizations are being urged to help not only to reduce the violence, but also to give the essential medical supplies to prevent further loss of life.
The unfolding catastrophe in North Kivu is a sobering reminder of how armed violence continues to rip away communities’ social and health fabric, leaving a path of death and sorrow that demands immediate global attention and action.