Congo Ebola response hit as unpaid health workers protest in Ituri

Health workers in Congo walked out over unpaid wages at facilities battling Ebola. The protest has deepened fears that the fast-spreading outbreak may become harder to contain.

In Short

• Confirmed infections reached 3,973, with 1,801 deaths by Tuesday, officials said
• Ituri province accounts for nearly 90 per cent of national cases
• Nurses said wages and bonuses remain unpaid since the outbreak began

Dozens of health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday staged protests over unpaid wages, leaving several health facilities at the centre of the country’s Ebola outbreak, even as aid groups warned that the disease was still spreading at an alarming rate.

Government data published on Thursday showed confirmed cases in the outbreak had reached 3,973, including 1,801 deaths, as of Tuesday. It is the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, behind the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, which recorded more than 28,000 cases and over 11,000 deaths.

The protesting workers gathered at the governor’s office in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90 per cent of the country’s Ebola cases. They are the latest group to walk off the job after protests over pay began weeks ago.

The workers, including nurses providing critical care to Ebola patients, said they had not received wages and bonuses for their work since the outbreak was declared in mid-May in one of Congo’s most remote and vulnerable areas affected by rebel conflict.

“With this way of managing things, Ebola will not end in this province. We ask the authorities to get involved at all levels so that a solution is found quickly,” said one of the protesters, Edouige Makosi.

Officials have previously blamed logistical problems for the delays in payment. Congolese authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Poor welfare for frontline workers has remained a major concern during the outbreak. Along with payment issues, many health workers and health facilities have also come under attack from rebels and angry mobs.

During his visit to Congo on Wednesday, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged authorities to prioritise care and support for responders.

Doctors Without Borders said this week that the outbreak was still “spreading at an alarming and unprecedented rate” and that the response, while expanding, “is still not reaching communities quickly enough to break transmission chains”.

Government data showed that 674 patients are currently in isolation, most of them in Ituri. It also showed that at least 75 per cent of contacts are being traced after exposure to patients. Officials said a bigger concern was that 60 to 70 per cent of new cases were coming from outside those contacts, mostly in remote areas where rebel conflict and mining-related movement have limited access.

The protests by health workers have added to the challenges facing the Ebola response, with the outbreak continuing to grow and aid agencies warning that efforts are still not moving fast enough to stop transmission.

With PTI Inputs

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