Millions of Ebola Dollars Not Reaching Their Destination in DR Congo, MSF Warns

Hundreds of millions of dollars meant to help tackle Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo are not reaching the intended recipients, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned.

MSF says that while the outbreak remains 'out of control', there is a 'considerable disconnect' between what is disbursed and what gets to 'patients, frontline workers and communities'.

'Despite the vast amounts of money provided for the response, many frontline responders are left trying to contain the outbreak with empty hands and empty pockets,' the charity says in a report.

More than 5,400 people have died and 11,000 have been infected with Ebola in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in May. This makes it the second most deadly outbreak of the disease ever recorded.

MSF has urged the Congolese government and UN agencies to 'strengthen oversight and accountability' to ensure money already disbursed is effectively utilised. This means, it said, ensuring response personnel are properly trained, paid, equipped and supported, and directing resources towards areas where needs are greatest.

MSF's warning adds to concerns raised by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) last month, when it said that $700 million out of $962 million disbursed to organisations implementing the Ebola response was unaccounted for.

At the time, Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya said it was too early to describe it as embezzlement, characterising the issue as a major transparency and financial reporting failure.

In its report, MSF cited cases of healthcare workers not being paid or trained, ambulances left to run without fuel, and a lack of supplies or support for frontline employees. It also mentioned Ebola monitoring surveillance teams that 'exist on paper but are nowhere to be seen on the ground'.

'Our teams are often left speechless by the dysfunctions they witness in many areas. Six months into the response, this situation is simply unacceptable,' said MSF president Javid Abdelmoneim.

One important way of stopping Ebola from spreading is contact tracing — finding all those who had come into contact with an infected person and putting them into isolation. MSF said that despite the resources officially allocated to this critical activity, surveillance remains deeply problematic, and two-thirds of deaths were occurring in communities, not treatment centres.

According to British epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, more than half of the cases are going undetected, meaning the outbreak is likely to last another year, the Reuters news agency reports.

MSF also raised concerns over an 'excessive concentration' of efforts in certain areas at the expense of other areas where needs were more urgent. It said the response was 'too slow' in North Kivu province, while Haut-Uélé remained 'dramatically overlooked'. In both provinces, teams were inadequately resourced to respond effectively, with health facilities lacking essential items such as water, chlorine or triage systems. This, MSF said, has turned some facilities into new centres of transmission, rather than places of care that contribute to containing the disease.

The epicentre of the outbreak is in eastern DR Congo, which has been wracked by conflict for many decades, with some affected areas under rebel control. There are very few good roads in the area, making it very hard to travel around.

The latest outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, is relatively rare and has no approved vaccine or treatment — though trials are under way. It has spread beyond DR Congo's borders, with cases reported in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. On Wednesday, the last person infected with Ebola in Kenya was discharged, marking a major milestone in efforts to contain the disease in the East African nation.