Ebola Treatment Center Staff in Northeast Congo Strike Over Unpaid Wages
Health workers at a treatment center in Ituri province halted operations on Monday, demanding overdue salaries and bonuses amid the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak.
Dozens of staff at the Rwampara General Hospital Ebola treatment center in Ituri province stopped work on Monday, citing two months of unpaid salaries and bonuses. The protest, which included epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers and gravediggers, involved shutting the facility and blocking the access road, with a tire set alight outside the entrance.
"We don’t know how it is possible to not have been paid for two months," health worker Bahati Claude told reporters. "We don’t want to give up the job."
The strike adds pressure to Congo's response to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that has been spreading since May, with health authorities reporting 1,926 confirmed cases and 702 deaths. Health Minister Roger Kamba said the government is reviewing payroll lists to ensure payments reach the correct personnel, noting that some unrelated names had been added to the payroll.
"We must ensure that these payments reach the right people," Kamba said. "We have faced a few challenges, notably changes to the lists, which have led to complaints from people saying they are not being paid even though they are working. We have the means to sort this out."
The World Health Organization confirmed the outbreak was declared on May 15 after delayed detection. In related news, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that a second U.S. humanitarian worker infected with Ebola was transferred to Germany for treatment.