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http://www.africanews.org/central/congo-kinshasa/stories/19990127_feat1.html
1,500 Doctors Leave DRC For Greener Pastures
January 27, 1999
Kinshasa, Congo (PANA) - At least 1,500 doctors have left the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) for greener pastures between 1987 and 1997, a study by
experts said.
Experts studying the problem of brain drain for purposes of reforming the health system indicated that in 1997, the country had 3,891 doctors, 800 pharmacists and 500 dentists.
It also had 37,602 nurses, 600 assistant pharmacists, 210 laboratory technicians, 174 X-ray technicians, 61 anesthetists, 140 health inspectors, 164 nutritionists and one health engineer.
The survey discovered that the DRC had made big efforts to train health workers, although their number was still inadequate to meet the health needs of the 47 million Congolese population.
According to the survey, one doctor is supposed to cater for 34,336 patients instead of the recommended 10,000. A pharmacist caters for 338,913 people instead of 50,000 while a dentist is theoretically supposed to handle 1,070,659 instead of 30,000.
The study found that only the number of nurses conformed with World Health Organisation (WHO) international standards.
According to the WHO, a nurse should cater for 5,000 people while in the DRC, one exists for 2,452.
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