Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has expressed concerns over the Ebola outbreak situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Despite billions of dollars earmarked for the response, the situation remains critical leaving about 5,000 dead with 11,000 cases recorded.

In a statement on Thursday, the MSF said the international community raised fund to tackle the disease and affected communities were not getting the needed results.

Also, it said coordination between agencies was weak and frontline workers were not getting the support needed to do their jobs.

The organisation highlighted urgent problems which included workers not being paid and properly trained. 

It added, “Ambulances don’t have fuel, surveillance teams don’t have the tools they need, health centres are missing basic supplies and technical help.”

The president of MSF International, Javid Abdelmoneim, said frontline workers were doing their best but were being let down.

He stated, “Despite the amounts of money provided for the response, many frontline responders are left trying to contain the outbreak with empty hands and empty pockets.”

MSF added that the system for tracking the outbreak was not working well, noting that two-thirds of Ebola deaths in the past month happened in communities where people were not getting care in time.

In Ituri Province, MSF said nine per cent of patients treated were identified as contacts by the surveillance system.

The organisation named North Kivu and Haut-Uélé as areas where the response was still weak, saying in the regions some health centres didn’t have water, sterilisation tools, chlorine or triage systems.

“These basics are needed to stop the spread of Ebola, in health zone North Kivu, nearly three-quarters of patients were infected in health facilities,” the statement noted.

MSF expressed hope in diagnostic tools improvement, making treatment centres better, organising community outreach, vaccine and treatment trials, calling on the government and United Nations agencies to step up.

Mr Abdelmoneim said rrsponse effort must reach communities that had been ignored.