BUNIA, July 10 – Health workers involved in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola response staged protests on Thursday over unpaid wages, raising concerns about staff morale as the country continues to battle its latest outbreak.
Dozens of response workers gathered outside the Centre Medical Evangelique (CME), Elikya and Salama treatment centres in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, which has recorded the highest number of Ebola cases. Police later dispersed one of the protests outside the CME.
It was not immediately clear whether the demonstrations affected operations at the treatment centres.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba acknowledged delays in paying response workers, saying the challenge was linked to updating and verifying payment lists.
Meanwhile, Africa CDC said it is working with Congolese authorities to speed up payments to frontline health workers. The agency has provided about $2 million to support the country’s Ebola response, with part of the funding available to clear delayed payments.
In a letter dated July 5, the workers said they had not been paid since the outbreak began, adding that the delays had caused financial hardship and affected their living conditions. They also called for higher daily allowances, saying the current payments do not reflect the risks and workload involved, and asked for income tax deductions on those allowances to be removed.
A Congolese health official said discussions with the workers were ongoing and that no strike had started.
According to the latest government figures, the outbreak has infected 1,759 people and claimed 600 confirmed lives since it was declared on May 15. The World Health Organization said this week that transmission of the rare strain of Ebola is continuing. The disease has a fatality rate of between 30% and 50%, with no approved vaccine or cure.
