Press articles on Kolwezi

The affluent Congolese of Kolwezi in Katanga, who consider medical care in their own country to be unsafe, have no hesitation in seeking treatment abroad, whatever the cost. Only the poor still seek treatment locally in Kolwezi (300 km from Lubumbashi, capital of Katanga province), in south-western DR Congo. For some years now, the richest have preferred to go to South Africa, India, China, the United States or Europe, where they claim to benefit from quality medical care. Lisette Kalonga, a shopkeeper from Kolwezi who has just been treated in India, explains that "the patients' crisis of confidence in public hospitals" is the main reason why many wealthy Congolese seek treatment abroad.