Evaluating Mobile Health Clinics in Democratic Republic of Congo: An Assessment of Service Efficiency in Remote Communities

Mobile health clinics have emerged as a critical tool for delivering essential healthcare services to remote communities in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Despite their potential, there is limited evidence on their operational efficiency and impact. A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative data from clinic records and qualitative interviews with community members was employed to analyse 12 months' worth of clinic operations across 5 mobile health units. Patient flow rates were calculated using the standard deviation (SD) method. The analysis revealed that patient flow rates varied significantly by location, ranging from a minimum SD of 0.5 patients per hour in one area to a maximum of 2.1 patients per hour in another, indicating substantial variability in clinic throughput. While the mobile health clinics demonstrated overall positive outcomes and high levels of community satisfaction, they faced challenges related to resource allocation and infrastructure limitations that impeded consistent service efficiency across different regions. Strengthening logistical support for remote clinics, enhancing communication systems between clinics and headquarters, and investing in local healthcare workforce training are recommended to improve clinic performance. Treatment effect was estimated with logit(pᵢ)=β₀+β^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.