Getting treatment without going into debt: this dream is gradually becoming a reality for Congolese citizens. Since the adoption of the revised law on the Universal Compulsory Health Insurance scheme (RAMU/CAMU) in 2023, the Congolese healthcare system has been undergoing a profound transformation.
The principle is simple: pool risks so that no one is financially ruined by an illness. Each contributor pays according to their means and receives care according to their needs. Gone are the days when a simple hospital stay could plunge a family into years of debt.
Coverage is gradually expanding. Civil servants, private sector employees, and then self-employed workers are being integrated into the system in stages. The long-term goal is to achieve universality, including the most vulnerable who benefit from state-sponsored coverage.
“My brother was hospitalized last year,” says a teacher from Pointe-Noire. “Without insurance, we would have had to sell the family plot of land. Thanks to RAMU, the main costs were covered. We kept our land and his health has been restored.”
This reform is accompanied by a strengthening of healthcare services. New hospitals have opened in Oyé, Djiri, Ngoyo, Sibiti, and Ouesso. The free cesarean section program, operational since 2022, has already saved thousands of lives. Together, these elements form a coherent system where access to healthcare becomes an effective right.
The deployment of universal health insurance fulfills President Denis Sassou-Nguesso’s commitment to expanded social protection. By making healthcare an accessible right for all, he is laying the foundations for a modern social contract where every Congolese citizen, regardless of income, can receive medical care with dignity and without fear of financial ruin.