ArticleWellcome open research2026
Facility-Based Assessment of Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care in Vanga Health Zone, Kwilu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Article in Wellcome open research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Facility-Based Assessment of Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care in Vanga Health Zone, Kwilu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.Wellcome open research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remain unacceptably high. The lack of empirical evidence on the capacity and performance of health facilities offering emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) is a central problem. Methods: This study assessed the quality of EmONC provision across 63 healthcare facilities in Vanga Health Zone, Kwilu province, DRC. Results: We identified widespread infrastructural deficiencies, including no water sources in 61/63 facilities, no emergency transfer capability, and critically low bed capacity. Stock inventories showed that 38/52 categories assessed in facilities had poor availability of basic EmONC equipment, supplies and medications. The median number of nurses providing 24/7 care across all specialties in nurse-led facilities was four. Doctors were employed at 5/63 facilities (13 doctors total), none with postgraduate training. Signal function data revealed widespread failure to provide basic EmONC alongside dangerous practices including caesarean sections and blood transfusions performed without doctors, trained staff or essential equipment. Caseload data was near-identical across both collection periods in all 58 nurse-led facilities, possibly suggesting falsification linked to performance-based financing. Conclusion: Health facilities in Vanga Health Zone show inadequacies in all quality domains assessed and are unable to provide safe or acceptable EmONC. Women and newborns are suffering unnecessary harm due to system-level failings in resource allocation and governance.
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Registered trials
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