Introduction: This article presents a study conducted in the city of Goma (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and addresses:the difficulties encountered by diabetic patients in accessing quality care and remaining compliant with treatmentsome of the solutions provided by two pilot health centers and the challenges they face.
Methods: 38 semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using an inductive method. These interviews were conducted with patients and local authorities in the community. On the other hand, in the pilot health centers, interviews were conducted with patients, their relatives and healthcare personnel.
Results: Four barriers to accessing care and following treatment were identified: the cost of care, following a diet, the appeal of traditional medicine and acceptance of the disease. Similarly, three innovative approaches, implemented in the pilot health centers, emerged: payment methods, humanization of care and the deployment of a multidisciplinary team.
Conclusions: This study highlights several barriers to access care and follow-up for diabetics in Goma. It also focuses on some innovative approaches tested by two pilot health centers. Our analysis could be deepened by direct observations within the facilities and by collecting quantitative data.