WHO warns of bed shortage for Ebola patients in Congo
dpaGenevaThe number of beds for Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is far from sufficient, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. More than twice as ma...
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern over the insufficient number of beds for Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to WHO logistics expert Luca Fontana, the country needs more than twice the current number of beds, which should also be established outside the Ituri province, the area where the outbreak initially began.
Currently, there are 59 treatment centers in Africa's second-largest country, accommodating 1,400 beds, but an additional 1,600 beds are required, according to Fontana.
The number of healthcare workers must also be significantly increased from the current 4,000 to 9,000. As of now, the official figures show that 6,686 people have been infected in the current outbreak, with 3,226 fatalities. Among the 819 patients undergoing treatment or isolation, training is ongoing. However, it is crucial to ensure that healthcare services can continue operating outside the Ebola centers.
Fontana highlighted that maintaining a 50-bed treatment center costs around $500,000.
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