Workshop Sheds Light on Emerging Patient Rights
Under a blazing late-November sun in Brazzaville, twenty healthcare professionals gathered at the headquarters of the African Centre for Peace, Education and Development to review a document that could soon redefine the conversation in the treatment room.
The session on 27 November 2025 was convened to explain the draft Patient and Health Service User Charter. The exercise was presented as a bridge between caregivers and the public.
“A charter is like a church on the village square, visible to all,” it was stated, eliciting nods of approval from surgeons, nurses, and insurance employees.
Why Promote a Text Not Yet Signed?
The charter has awaited an executive signature since December 2024, sitting on the government’s desk after six years of consultations with unions, insurers, and civil society groups. Financial partners recommended early awareness-raising so hospitals would not be caught off guard once the decree is published.
The timing was described as pragmatic. “If we waited for promulgation, we would lose our momentum and the donors’ schedule,” it was argued, noting that the European Union and WHO have earmarked modest grants for dissemination.
Such popularization before signing reflects practices observed in Ghana and Rwanda, where patient rights declarations circulated months before their formal adoption.
A Concise Document with Broad Ambitions
The draft has only 17 articles but covers freedom of medical choice, confidentiality, informed consent, and shared responsibility. Chapter One states the general principles; Chapter Two lists the rights; Chapter Three specifies the duties.
Article 1 proclaims that patients may choose any doctor in the public or private sector, subject to availability and the Universal Health Insurance scheme, CAMU. Article 15 reminds users to respect visiting hours, staff workload, and prescribed dosages.
Legal analysts present at the workshop indicated that the text derives its authority from the Constitution of 25 October 2015 – which declares health a fundamental right – and the medical ethics code of May 1988 which still guides hospitals today.
Doctors Assess Benefits for Clinical Practice
A doctor supervising the emergency department at Talangaï Hospital welcomed the charter as “a pocket compass” for both sides of the stethoscope. “It will not repeal existing rules; it will unite them,” he said.
It is believed that explicit language on treatment adherence could reduce readmission rates linked to premature discharges, a challenge highlighted in the Ministry of Health’s 2023 annual review.
A senior nurse from a district hospital said clear expectations could also ease conflicts that occasionally erupt at payment counters when patients misunderstand coverage limits.
Legal Guarantees Already Enshrined in Law
Congo’s fundamental law guarantees equal access to care, but its application often relies on hospitals’ internal circulars. By codifying rights in a single public text, the charter could improve accountability without creating new procedural hurdles, observed a legal expert.
She drew parallels with France’s 2002 Kouchner Law, credited with reducing malpractice lawsuits through better information. “Transparency is preventive medicine for the courts,” she quipped.
The Ministry of Justice, represented at the workshop, expressed support for a document that “clarifies rather than complicates” the existing legal landscape.
Funding Awareness Beyond Brazzaville
The budget for nationwide awareness stands at 35 million CFA francs, enough for radio spots in Lingala, Kituba, and French, plus posters in 200 health facilities. Additional outreach in the remote Sangha and Likouala departments will rely on mobile cinema units.
Provincial buy-in is important because “an unread right is an unrealized right.” Regional health authorities are expected to select focal points before March 2026.
The World Bank’s Health System Strengthening Project, active since 2021, has expressed interest in printing leaflets if the charter aligns with its citizen engagement indicators.
Balancing Patient Empowerment and Resource Limits
Some clinicians quietly worry that heightened expectations could outstrip supplies. Brazzaville University Hospital still experiences drug stock-outs, and emergency services face bed shortages during malaria peaks.
A health economist argued that rights instruments often act as levers for additional funding. “When standards are explicit, budget negotiators can quantify the gaps,” he said, citing Kenya’s experience after its 2013 Patient Rights Act.
Ministry of Health officials highlighted ongoing investments in the CAMU scheme, which covered 1.4 million citizens by mid-2025.
Regional Context and CEMAC Implications
If signed, Congo would join Cameroon and Gabon in having a formal patient charter, potentially facilitating cross-border referrals within CEMAC. Regionally operating insurance companies welcome harmonized standards that simplify claims.
A public health researcher noted that mobile populations along the Congo-Gabon border often face administrative delays due to differing consent forms. “A shared vocabulary of rights can speed up triage,” she said.
The CEMAC secretariat in Malabo has offered technical assistance to align terminologies with its future Protocol on Mutual Recognition of Health Qualifications.
Next Steps Towards Promulgation
Participants left the workshop with a six-week action plan: incorporate feedback into a final version, disseminate it through the Ministries of Health and Social Affairs, and request a spot on the cabinet agenda before the end of the first quarter.
Government sources familiar with the process indicate the charter could be adopted by decree rather than parliamentary vote, speeding up timelines while retaining legal force. Similar procedures were followed for the 2022 Essential Medicines List.
Public meetings will continue in Pointe-Noire, Dolisie, and Ouesso, seeking what is called “ownership from the port to the forest.”
Cautious Optimism in Hospital Corridors
For now, the charter remains a pending text, but its principles are already permeating staff briefings and patient orientation interviews.