Health and Health Seeking Behaviour in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Perspectives of the Elderly
The history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been marked by political instability and conflict. This has obviously impacted the older population but it is difficult to come across reliable data on the health situation of the country. Qual
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Health and Health Seeking Behaviour in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Perspectives of the Elderly Ganzamungu Zihindula and Pranitha Maharaj
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Introduction
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is situated in central Africa and is the third largest country in Africa. A recent report indicates that the population of the DRC exceeds 70 million (World Bank 2010). The country is vast and rich in natural resources but the majority of the population lives in poverty. The DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world, with one of the lowest nominal gross domestic product per capita (UNDP 2010). Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, contributing more than 40% to the gross domestic product. The DRC ranks 168th (out of 169) in the 2010 human development index (UNDP 2010). Poverty is a major problem in the country with 71.3% of the Congolese surviving below the income poverty line (UNDP 2010). Moreover, the latest report on the state of food security suggests that the DRC is also one of the countries that has one of the highest levels of food insecurity in the world: on average 36% of households are food insecure (WFP 2008). The Congolese Ministry of Public Health estimates that over 16% of the population suffers from severe malnutrition (MSF 2005). Hunger is a major problem for a large sector of the population. The life expectancy remains low at 48 years but there are a substantial number of older people in the country given the massive population (UNDP 2010). For the past several decades the DRC has been characterised by severe conflict and political upheavals which have claimed the lives of millions directly or indirectly. Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Colonel Joseph Mobutu seized power and declared himself the President in November 1965. He subsequently changed his name—to Mobutu Sese Seko—as well as that of
G. Zihindula (*) • P. Maharaj School of Built Environment and Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] P. Maharaj (ed.), Aging and Health in Africa, International Perspectives on Aging 4, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-8357-2_4, © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
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the country—to Zaire. Mobutu was able to retain his position for more than three decades through several sham elections, as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, triggered by the massive influx of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led, in May 1997, to the overthrow of the Mobutu regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent Desire Kabila. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support Kabi
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