WHO · UNICEF · UN IGME 2024← All Countries

🇨🇩

Maternal & Child Mortality
in DR Congo

Central Africa · #20 of 30 worst globally

Child Deaths Since Jan 1, 2026

0

60.5 per 1,000 live births · DR Congo

Deaths at Birth Today

0

est. newborns today

Infant Mortality Rate

60.5

per 1,000 · 2.2× world avg

Maternal Mortality Rate

547

per 100,000 · 2.8× world avg

Central Africa

Birth Mortality Crisis

Mothers & Newborns
Dying in DR Congo
During Childbirth

547 maternal deaths per 100,000 — in a country where sexual violence is used as a systematic weapon of war.

Newborn & Infant Mortality

60.5deaths per 1,000 live births

2.2× the world average

Maternal Mortality During Birth

547deaths per 100,000 live births

2.8× the world average

👶

Newborn & Child Deaths During Birth in DR Congo

DRC has the world's largest active humanitarian crisis. Over 7 million are internally displaced. Repeated Ebola outbreaks (2018–2020 was the world's second largest) decimated health system trust in the east.

Extremely uneven — western provinces improving while eastern provinces face catastrophic deterioration due to M23 and other armed groups.

Leading Causes of Child Death at Birth

Malaria29%

Neonatal causes25%

Pneumonia14%

Diarrhoea13%

Other19%

* Neonatal deaths (first 28 days) represent the largest share of under-5 mortality.

What Happens in the Delivery Room

🏥

Births in a health facility~81%

estimated — lower in conflict/rural areas

👩‍⚕️

Skilled birth attendant present~48%

doctor, midwife or trained nurse

⚠️

Neonatal deaths (first 28 days)48%

of all under-5 deaths occur at birth

🩸

Most preventable with skilled care~75%

of child and maternal deaths

🤱

Maternal Mortality During Birth in DR Congo

Sexual violence as a weapon of war has created extraordinary trauma, fistula, and HIV transmission affecting maternal outcomes. MSF runs the world's largest fistula repair programme in DRC.

Eastern DRC deteriorating. Western DRC shows slow improvement.

Causes of Death During Labour & Delivery

Haemorrhage30%

Eclampsia20%

Sepsis17%

Obstructed labour14%

Unsafe abortion10%

Other9%

* Haemorrhage and eclampsia together cause over 50% of deaths — both are treatable with basic skilled care.

Why Mothers Die at Birth Here

🩺

Emergency obstetric care availableLimited

few facilities can manage haemorrhage

🩸

Blood transfusion accessCritical gap

haemorrhage kills within 2 hours

💊

Magnesium sulphate (eclampsia)Often absent

costs $1 — saves lives instantly

✅

If skilled care were universal~75% fewer deaths

WHO estimate for this mortality level

⚠️

Why Is This Still Happening?

Structural Barriers to Safe Birth in DR Congo

World's largest active humanitarian crisis — 7M+ displaced

M23, ADF, and 100+ armed groups operating in the east

Sexual violence as systematic weapon of war

World's second largest Ebola outbreak (2018–2020)

Mineral wealth (coltan, gold) funding armed groups

🎯

SDG 3 Progress Assessment

Eastern DRC requires a security solution before health SDGs become achievable.

💡

Prevention & Solutions

How Can We Prevent This in DR Congo?

📍 The Situation

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second-largest country in Africa, with a population of over 100 million people and health infrastructure that reaches only a fraction of them. Eastern DRC is in a state of protracted conflict. Western provinces face extreme poverty and limited road access.

🔬 How Ultrasound Helps

The DRC requires a decentralized approach — no centralized training program can reach its population spread across an area the size of Western Europe. GUSI's online training model, combined with in-person certification workshops at provincial teaching hospitals, allows training to ripple outward from urban centres without requiring trainees to travel to Kinshasa. This hub-and-spoke POCUS training model is specifically designed for countries with the DRC's geography.

🎓 The Training Gap

DRC has provincial teaching hospitals that can serve as POCUS training hubs. GUSI's train-the-trainer model — certifying master trainers at each provincial hub who then train district-level health workers — is the only feasible approach to achieving meaningful national coverage.

What a trained provider can detect with a portable ultrasound device

🩸Placenta previa

🔄Malpresentation

👥Twin pregnancy

📉Fetal growth restriction

⚡Pre-eclampsia markers

🫁Childhood pneumonia

💉Internal bleeding

🧠Hydrocephalus

🧮

Interactive Model

POCUS Impact Calculator — DR Congo

Model based on: 600 scans/provider/year · 15% high-risk detection rate · 47% mortality reduction for detected cases (Swanson et al. 2014 · WHO POCUS in LMICs review)

Number of POCUS-trained providers deployed in DR Congo50

1 provider250500 providers

Scans per Year

30,000

pregnant women screened

High-Risk Detected

4,500

flagged for referral / intervention

Maternal Deaths Prevented

37

mothers saved per year

Newborn Deaths Prevented

49

babies saved per year

Total Lives Saved Per Year

86deaths prevented

1.7

lives per provider

$288

est. cost per life saved

$24,750

total training investment

* This calculator uses a conservative evidence-based model. Actual impact varies by deployment context, provider experience, and health system capacity. Training cost based on GUSI OB POCUS Essentials (~$495/provider). Mortality reduction from peer-reviewed POCUS implementation studies in low-resource settings.

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Technology & Education

A Practical Plan to Bring POCUS to DR Congo

🗺️ Deployment Roadmap for DR Congo

Baseline assessment — map existing facilities, referral pathways, blood supply, and available midwives, nurses, and physicians who could be trained.
Provider training — enrol local champions in GUSI's OB POCUS Essentials + Pediatric POCUS courses. Certify a core group to train others.
Device procurement — select appropriate portable handheld devices based on power infrastructure, connectivity, and budget (see brands below).
Protocols & referral integration — define what to scan, what findings trigger referral, and how to document scans at the point of care.
Quality assurance — regular image review sessions, outcomes tracking, and refresher training to maintain competency.

📡 Recommended Portable Ultrasound Devices

🦋 Butterfly iQ+

Website →

Single-probe whole-body device covering OB, cardiac, lung, and FAST exams. App-based platform with built-in AI guidance. Designed for low-resource environments — charges via USB and works with any smartphone.

🔵 Philips Lumify

Website →

App-based probe that plugs into Android phones. Multiple transducer heads available for OB and point-of-care use. Widely used in GUSI-supported training programs globally.

🟢 GE Vscan Air

Website →

Wireless, pocket-sized dual-probe handheld. Streams live images to a smartphone app. Excellent battery life — purpose-built for rapid bedside OB and FAST-style assessments.

🔷 Clarius HD3

Website →

High-resolution wireless handheld. Multiple probe configurations available. Strong image quality in a compact form factor — suitable for OB, lung, and neonatal scanning.

Global Ultrasound Institute · GUSI

The training that closes the gap — built for providers in settings like DR Congo

GUSI trains physicians, nurses, midwives, and community health workers in Point-of-Care Ultrasound. Courses are designed from the ground up for providers in resource-limited settings — short, practical, competency-based, and available online or in person. Every course maps directly to the conditions killing mothers and babies during childbirth.