Ebola response workers in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo staged protests outside three treatment centres on Thursday, accusing authorities of failing to properly pay them for their work during the country’s latest outbreak.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has infected 1,759 people and killed 600, according to government figures released on Wednesday.
The World Health Organization said this week that transmission of the rare Ebola strain was still ongoing. The strain has no approved vaccine or cure and kills between 30% and 50% of those infected.
Dozens of Ebola response workers gathered outside the Centre Medical Evangelique, Elikya and Salama treatment centres in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, the area hardest hit by the outbreak.
Police dispersed one of the demonstrations outside the Centre Medical Evangelique. It was not immediately clear whether the protests affected operations at the treatment centres.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba acknowledged problems in what he described as the “human resources pillar” of the response, saying authorities were working to update and verify lists of workers who needed to be paid.
A Congolese health official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media, said talks were continuing with workers who had threatened to strike, but that no strike had begun.
In a July 5 letter addressed to Ituri’s governor and health officials, Ebola response workers said they had not been paid for services provided since the outbreak began.
They said the delays had caused “significant socio-economic difficulties” and worsened their living conditions.
The workers also complained that compensation rates were too low given the risks and workload involved in the Ebola response. They demanded higher daily allowances and called for the removal of income tax deductions, arguing that the payments were bonuses rather than salaries.