{"id":1531,"date":"2026-07-08T08:06:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T08:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1531"},"modified":"2026-07-08T08:06:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T08:06:57","slug":"some-health-workers-in-congos-ebola-outbreak-go-on-strike-over-pay-issues-as-deaths-near-600","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1531","title":{"rendered":"Some health workers in Congo\u2019s Ebola outbreak go on strike over pay issues as deaths near 600"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BUNIA, Congo (AP) \u2014 The healthcare workers at the epicenter of Congo\u2019s Ebola outbreak are walking off their jobs to protest delays in their payments<\/span>, threatening efforts to slow the outbreak<\/span> that officials said continues to spread faster than the response.<\/p>\n

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In Ituri province, the hardest hit among the three provinces in eastern Congo affected by the outbreak<\/span>, some of the health professionals and other front-line workers<\/span> told The Associated Press they\u2019ve not been paid their wages and bonuses since the outbreak was declared on May 15. They also alleged they were working with limited gear, and were being treated unfairly by authorities as well as response teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the Ebola virus disease outbreak was declared, we\u2019ve been demanding payment for our work,\u201d Dr. Biensi Kano, a member of the epidemiological surveillance committee in Ituri\u2019s capital, Bunia, told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

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The latest government data shows 1,708 recorded cases, including 580 deaths, and that the first month of this Ebola outbreak was already the worst on record, health authorities said. The strike comes at the start of enrollment for clinical trials for the treatment<\/span> of the Bundibugyo virus that is responsible for this outbreak.<\/p>\n

Treatment centers at near-full capacity<\/h2>\n

The World Health Organization representative in Congo, Dr. Anne Ancia, said Tuesday that the virus continues to spread, fueled by population movements and insecurity<\/span>, while some treatment centers are at near-full capacity.<\/p>\n

The non-payment of benefits \u201cexposes us and our families to significant socio-economic difficulties and seriously undermines our living conditions,\u201d said Kano.<\/p>\n

In an official notice to national and provincial authorities over the weekend, front-line workers in Ituri threatened to strike if the wages were not paid in 24 hours. By Tuesday, some had already stopped working although no official strike has been declared.<\/p>\n

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The aggrieved front-line workers also include safety and security teams, those that often embark on community outreach as well as those burying patients who died from Ebola.<\/p>\n

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Congo\u2019s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the situation. Officials in Ituri, however, said they\u2019ve met with the workers and their concerns are being addressed<\/p>\n

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