Strike threatens Ebola care in Butembo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kivu Morning Post
Staff at the ITAV Ebola treatment centre in Butembo have stopped work to demand more than 45 days of unpaid wages. Their strike, launched on 5 November until further notice, threatens patient care and the response to the epidemic, reports Kivu Morning Post.
Congolese staff at the Ebola treatment centre of the Technical Institute of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (ITAV) in Butembo began a strike on 5 November to demand payment of more than 45 days of salary arrears, according to one of the strikers quoted by Kivu Morning Post. The action is announced to continue until further notice.
Some staff say they have received no payment since the centre opened; it was built with support from the Ugandan government. Their absence could interrupt the care, monitoring and support provided to patients being treated for Ebola.
The strike comes on the day the recovery of the last Ebola patient in Kayna was announced, on 5 November. It also follows threats by staff in Ituri to suspend the response, reported on 24 October amid salary arrears among health workers.
