A growing outcry over obstetric violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reignited debate over maternal healthcare, following a viral video showing a doctor physically assaulting a woman moments after childbirth in a public hospital in Kinshasa.
The disturbing footage, which shocked many across the country, has prompted rare public discussion around abuse in maternity wards, a subject often considered taboo in the deeply conservative Central African nation.
For Sara, a 31-year-old mother, the trauma remains deeply personal.
After giving birth to her first child two years ago, she said a doctor attempted to stitch her episiotomy without anaesthesia.
“Another delivery would mean reliving a traumatic experience,” she said, adding she has ruled out having more children.
Her story mirrors those of many women who say they endured physical pain, coercion and humiliation while giving birth in Congolese hospitals.
In the now-viral video filmed inside a public hospital delivery room, a visibly distressed woman is seen screaming and attempting to leave her hospital bed moments after childbirth.
A doctor is seen striking her with a metal instrument and slapping her while trying to force her into a position for treatment.
Prime Minister Judith Suminwa condemned the incident as “totally unacceptable,” while First Lady Denise Tshisekedi described the acts as “abhorrent” and demanded swift action.
In a rare move, the doctor involved was prosecuted and convicted.
During the trial, he admitted hitting the patient but argued he was trying to stop a fatal postpartum haemorrhage.
“I did everything to save a life,” the doctor told the court, adding he attempted to suture the woman without anaesthetic because none was available.
He received a two-month suspended prison sentence for assault and unlawfully recording the video, while the Congolese state was ordered to pay the victim $2,500 in damages.
Women’s rights advocates say the incident has exposed a widespread but largely ignored pattern of abuse in delivery rooms.
“Violence in delivery rooms has become normalised because doctors claim they are saving lives,” said Anny Modi, head of women’s rights group Afia Mama.
According to Modi, the group receives at least one case weekly involving women traumatised during childbirth.
She said young unmarried women are sometimes subjected to mistreatment rooted in moral judgement.
“A young unmarried woman faces violence that amounts to punishment for having sexual relations outside marriage,” she said.
Other women shared similar experiences.
Rose, a mother of four, recalled enduring an invasive procedure without pain relief.
“After I gave birth, the doctor went to remove pieces of placenta by inserting his entire forearm into my uterus,” she said.
“I asked if anaesthesia was possible, but they told me there was none.”
The outrage comes amid broader concerns over maternal healthcare in the DRC, where the World Health Organization puts maternal mortality at 427 deaths per 100,000 live births — one of the highest rates globally.
The United Nations has described the situation as alarming, blaming chronic shortages of resources and trained healthcare workers.
According to estimates by the country’s main doctors’ union, the DRC has just one midwife for every 16,000 people, far below the WHO recommendation of one per 5,000.
Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba acknowledged the problem.
“Verbal or physical violence in delivery rooms is an abuse we have noticed,” he said, even as he maintained that hospitals are regularly supplied with kits containing anaesthetics and essential medicines.
Berthier Nsadi, president of the Congolese medical council, said the case has sparked reflection on strengthening training for doctors and midwives.
Rights groups say the conviction marks a symbolic breakthrough, but insist deeper reforms are needed to tackle systemic abuse and restore dignity to maternal care.
For many women, the conversation long kept silent is finally beginning.
And for survivors like Sara, it may be the first step toward accountability.
