Democratic Republic of Congo: Malaria funding cuts will have deadly consequences
The Global Fund must reconsider its decision to stop supporting malaria efforts in North Kivu
Malaria is one of the leading causes of death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including in North Kivu. Yet the people of this province may soon be deprived of essential funding to respond to the disease.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) learned that North Kivu will no longer receive support for malaria control, as part of GC8, the Global Fund’s next funding cycle (2027–2029).
“Repeated displacement of people, food insecurity and barriers to accessing care create conditions that increase both exposure to malaria and the risk of developing a severe form of the disease.”
Stéphane Doyon, MSF program manager
“The Global Fund has been a real lifeline for people exposed to malaria, providing most of the available treatments in North Kivu,” says Stéphane Doyon, MSF program manager. “If it stops supporting the province in malaria prevention and treatment, the situation will become catastrophic. Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease. In 2026, it is unacceptable that people continue to die or develop severe forms of the disease because they lack access to prevention measures, diagnosis and basic treatments.
The Global Fund’s GC8 funding cycle will allocate resources to countries responding to malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. Funding decisions are based on national priorities and significantly influence access to healthcare services in high-burden settings.
As things stand, the North Kivu province would be excluded from future funding priorities for malaria control, while its health system may soon become overwhelmed by the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak. The similarity between the early symptoms of malaria and those of Ebola can complicate diagnosis and delay the initiation of appropriate treatment, which further increases the strain on healthcare systems that are already under significant pressure.
“North Kivu is one of the provinces hardest hit by armed conflict,” says Doyon. “Repeated displacement of people, food insecurity and barriers to accessing care create conditions that increase both exposure to malaria and the risk of developing a severe form of the disease.”
Many people have been forced to flee their homes due to fighting between the AFC/M23 — that largely control North Kivu — and armed groups allied with the Congolese government. They are seeking refuge in forests and other remote areas, where the risk of exposure to malaria is particularly high and access to healthcare remains very limited. In 2025, in three of the health zones in North Kivu where MSF implements programs in health centres and hospitals run by the Ministry of Health (Bambo, Kibirizi and Rutshuru), malaria accounted for between 48—58 per cent of consultations. More than 255,000 simple cases and more than 26,000 severe cases were treated in these areas by MSF, the Ministry of Health and its partners combined. Out of the overall cases, more than 165,560 cases were treated in health structures supported by MSF.
Basic malaria prevention measures have already been scaled back in some areas. And in areas supported by the Global Fund, there has been no distribution of mosquito nets since June 2023. In 2025, no malaria control supplies reached North Kivu between July and December due to access issues.
Faced with these recurring shortages, MSF has had to purchase and supply treatments and screening tests to fill the gaps. In 2025, MSF provided 53 per cent of treatments for uncomplicated malaria and 35 per cent of treatments for severe malaria in health structures in the Kibirizi, Bambo and Rutshuru health zones where MSF, the Ministry of Health or partners opperate. This is unsustainable for long-term prevention and control of the disease across the vast province of North Kivu.
This latest challenge is unfolding against an increasingly difficult health situation in North Kivu, marked by persistent malnutrition and recurrent outbreaks of preventable diseases. Malnutrition remains a growing concern across the province and is consistently observed in many MSF-supported health structures. When combined with malaria, malnutrition significantly increases the risk of severe illness and death, particularly among children.
MSF calls on the Global Fund and the authorities in Kinshasa to fully reintegrate North Kivu into the GC8’s malaria program and resource allocation. We urge Congolese health authorities to ensure an equitable distribution of resources, based on at-risk communities and burden of the disease.
