KINSHASA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The healthcare system in conflict-torn eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has sharply deteriorated, with most medical facilities suffering severe drug shortages and staff flight, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned in a statement on Wednesday.

An ICRC research conducted in September 2025 across 240 health facilities in North and South Kivu provinces found that 85 percent had run out of essential medicines, while nearly 40 percent said health workers had fled due to insecurity and lack of funding.

The shortages are forcing wounded civilians, including women and children, to travel long distances for treatment -- often through active combat zones, it added.

Even when patients manage to reach a clinic, they often find no qualified staff or medicines available, said Hippolyte Ten, deputy health coordinator at the ICRC.

More than 70 percent of surveyed facilities had treated weapon-related injuries this year, with hospitals in Beni, Goma, Bukavu, and Fizi reporting over 3,400 cases -- a 160 percent increase from 2024. The ICRC also recorded 948 cases of sexual violence receiving medical and psychosocial support in the first half of 2025.

The collapse of humanitarian assistance has left 80 percent of facilities in the Kivu region without partner support, said Francois Moreillon, head of the ICRC delegation in the DRC. "Thousands of lives are at stake. Ensuring the delivery of medicines, safe patient transfers, and the protection of medical staff is urgent," he warned.

The ICRC also reiterated its call for all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of medical personnel and infrastructure.

Since January, the security situation in eastern DRC has worsened sharply amid renewed fighting involving the March 23 Movement rebel group, which has seized several key towns, including Goma and Bukavu. Humanitarian agencies say the escalating violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians, deepening an already dire crisis. ■