Hundreds of millions of dollars meant to help tackle Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo are not reaching the intended recipients, a medical charity has warned.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says while the outbreak remains "out of control", there is a "considerable disconnect" between what is disbursed and what gets to "patients, frontline workers and communities".
"Despite the vast amounts of money provided for the response, many frontline responders are left trying to contain the outbreak with empty hands and empty pockets," the charity says in a report.
More than 5,400 people have died and 11,000 infected with Ebola in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in May.
This makes it the second most deadly outbreak of the disease ever recorded.
MSF has urged the Congolese government and UN agencies to "strengthen oversight and accountability" to ensure money already disbursed is effectively utilised.
This means "ensuring response personnel are properly trained, paid, equipped, and supported, and directing resources towards areas where needs are greatest," it said.
MSF's warning adds to concerns raised by Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) last month, when it said that $700m (£527m) out of $962m disbursed to organisations implementing Ebola response was unaccounted for.
At the time, Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya said it was too early to describe it…
