Rédaction Africa Links 24 with CP
In a country where public health challenges are numerous, one issue remains in the shadows: osteoporosis in elderly women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While this debilitating disease is affecting more and more elderly women in the country, the glaring absence of a specific public health policy for their care is a major flaw in the healthcare system.
Osteoporosis, absent from the public discourse of Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba, and neglected among public health priorities, is nevertheless a serious condition that weakens bones, increasing the risk of fractures and serious complications, particularly in elderly women.
In the DRC, where healthcare infrastructure is already under pressure, women with osteoporosis often find themselves without adequate support or access to necessary treatments. Despite the devastating impact of osteoporosis on the quality of life of elderly women, Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba seems to turn a blind eye to this reality.
The lack of a national strategy dedicated to the prevention, early detection, and management of osteoporosis in elderly women is an inexcusable gap in the landscape of Congolese public health. It is imperative that Minister Kamba becomes aware of the urgency to act to fill this gaping hole in the healthcare system of the DRC.
Concrete measures, such as public awareness, training of healthcare professionals, and the establishment of accessible screening and treatment programs, are essential to reverse the trend and provide elderly women with osteoporosis with the care they deserve. This is partly what justifies his presence at the head of the Ministry of Health.
By neglecting the issue of osteoporosis in elderly women, Minister Kamba not only compromises the health and well-being of our aging population but also risks perpetuating a vicious circle of avoidable suffering and harm. It is high time that the health of elderly women and the fight against osteoporosis are placed at the heart of public health priorities in the DRC.
TEDDY MFITU
Polymath, researcher, and writer / Senior consultant at CICPAR consulting firm
Read the original article(French) on Congo-Profond
