Before you start

International health insurance that names medical evacuation and states the receiving country
A yellow fever vaccination certificate — required, and checked on arrival
Routine and travel vaccinations reviewed at least eight weeks before departure
A decision, before you need it, about which clinic you will call and whether your employer's arrangement covers your family

Step-by-step

1
Arrange evacuation cover, and check where it evacuates to
UK government advice is explicit that Western-standard medical facilities are almost non-existent outside Kinshasa, and that evacuation to South Africa or elsewhere may be necessary. From Lubumbashi that is a direct flight to Johannesburg, which is a materially better position than from most of the country. Confirm your policy names South Africa and confirm it covers the provinces you will actually travel to for work.
OnlineWho: You or your employerBefore you flyThe largest single health line in a Katanga budget
2
Register with a clinic and store the number
In Haut-Katanga the mining companies operate the best-resourced medical facilities and many contractors' cover routes through them. If you are employed in the sector, find out on day one which facility you are attached to and whether it extends to your family. If you are not, register with a private clinic and treat the French consular agency's contact list as your fallback reference.
In personWho: YouYour first fortnightConsultations are paid at the point of care
3
Take malaria seriously, all year
Katanga is a year-round falciparum malaria region despite the altitude and the dry winter. Prophylaxis, nets and repellent are the standard package, and a fever means a same-day rapid test rather than waiting to see. Agree the regimen with a travel-medicine doctor before departure, because the right one depends on how long you are staying.
In personWho: You, with a travel clinicBefore departure and ongoingA recurring monthly cost
4
Treat water as a live risk during the cholera epidemic
The DRC recorded more than 71,200 cholera cases and 2,070 deaths in 2025 — the worst outbreak in twenty-five years — and case numbers rose again through 2026. Kinshasa has been the epicentre, but this is a national epidemic, not a capital one. Drink treated or bottled water including for teeth, and treat any diarrhoea with or without fever as an urgent consultation.
In personWho: YouEvery dayBottled or filtered water is a household line item
5
Ask about industrial exposure where you live and work
Copper smelting has run in this city since 1910 and the slag heap is the skyline. Tailings, dust and active plant sit inside the urban area, and the dry season lifts a great deal of it into the air. Ask what is upwind of a prospective house, ask about dust and about water sourcing, and if you work on a site, ask what occupational monitoring exists rather than assuming there is some.
In personWho: YouBefore signing a lease and at onboardingFree to ask; expensive not to

Documents you’ll need

Yellow fever vaccination certificate
Insurance documents naming evacuation cover and the receiving country
Your clinic registration and its direct number
A written medical history and prescription list in French
Enough specialist medication to outlast a supply gap

Things most newcomers don’t know

There is no ambulance number. Everything else follows from that.

UK government advice states plainly that the DRC has no general emergency medical number and that you contact a hospital directly. If you have not chosen a clinic and stored the number, the first ten minutes of an emergency go on searching. This is the single cheapest piece of preparation available to you.

Source: UK FCDO — DRC travel advice, health

Lubumbashi's real medical advantage is the Johannesburg flight.

Evacuation is the plan for anything serious, and the practical quality of an evacuation plan is how fast the patient reaches a hospital that can treat them. A direct southern route beats a transfer through Kinshasa on almost every measure. It is a genuine reason Katanga postings are easier to staff with families than equivalent roles elsewhere in the country.

Source: UK FCDO health advice; regional flight network

Cholera is national; Ebola is 1,500 km away in Ituri.

The DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak was declared in Ituri on 15 May 2026 and WHO made the Bundibugyo-virus epidemic in the DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May 2026. Ituri is in the far north-east. Conflating the two produces both unnecessary alarm and the wrong precautions — the one that should change your daily behaviour in Lubumbashi is the water-borne one.

Source: WHO, May 2026; UNICEF, 2025

The best-equipped facility near you is probably a mining company's.

In Haut-Katanga the industrial medical infrastructure is often better resourced than the general private sector, and access usually runs through an employer or contractor relationship rather than through a subscription you can simply buy. That makes 'what is my medical arrangement, exactly, and does it cover my spouse' a first-week question rather than a first-year one.

Source: Local practice in the Katanga mining sector

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without evacuation cover, or with a policy that excludes provinces you will visit for work
Assuming your employer's site medical arrangement covers your family
Relaxing about malaria because the winter is cool and dry
Drinking untreated water during a national cholera epidemic
Signing a lease next to industrial land without asking what is upwind
Relying on local pharmacies for a specialist medication rather than bringing a buffer

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.