Unpaid and at Risk: Ebola Health Workers Threaten to Walk Away in DRC

 

BUNIA, Democratic Republic of Congo — They enter Ebola treatment wards knowing that a single mistake could cost them their lives. But for some frontline health workers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the danger of the virus is no longer the only thing pushing them to the breaking point.

Unpaid wages are threatening to drive health workers away from the Ebola response just as the outbreak continues to spread.

Among those caught in the crisis is Micheline Kayimpa, a nurse at the Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia. Every day, she puts on layers of protective equipment and enters isolation wards to care for patients suffering from one of the world's deadliest diseases.

Her work includes administering medication, helping severely ill patients and cleaning areas that may be contaminated with the virus.

But despite the risks, Kayimpa says she has not received a government salary for months.

“I’ve been working here since June, but I haven’t received a single penny in wages,” she said.

Kayimpa, a mother of four, says an error in her name on government payroll records has delayed her payment. She previously stopped working for three days in protest and has warned that she could walk away again if the problem is not resolved.

A dangerous moment for the Ebola response

The threat comes at a critical time.

According to figures cited by the World Health Organization and the Congolese health ministry, the outbreak has expanded rapidly in eastern DRC, with thousands of infections and deaths recorded since the virus emerged in mid-May.

The epicenter is Ituri province, where Bunia is located. More than 90% of confirmed cases have reportedly been recorded there.

The outbreak is being driven by the less common Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which proven vaccines are not available, making the work of frontline health workers even more challenging.

Years of conflict and displacement have also weakened health infrastructure and made it harder for medical teams to reach vulnerable communities.

Health workers face more than the virus

For medical staff, the danger does not end when they put on protective equipment.

Some workers have already been exposed to the virus, particularly during the early stages of the outbreak when Ebola was not immediately recognised.

Kayimpa says several health workers became infected and some died after treating patients without adequate protection.

“We’re sacrificing our lives for the people,” she said.

Inside the Elikya treatment centre, staffing shortages are adding to the pressure. The 90-bed isolation facility, operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has been operating at full capacity.

Kayimpa says only a handful of nurses may be responsible for patients suffering from multiple serious conditions.

Protests erupt over unpaid wages

Frustration over unpaid salaries has already spilled onto the streets.

Health workers have staged protests at Ebola treatment centres, demanding that the government settle outstanding wages.

DRC Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya Katembwe acknowledged that delayed payments had triggered protests at several treatment facilities.

He said the delays were largely administrative, involving the verification of workers deployed to the Ebola response and ensuring that payments reached the correct people.

According to Muyaya, workers who are officially listed for payment will receive their money.

MSF, meanwhile, said the protests concerned government compensation rather than payments owed by the humanitarian organisation.

The organisation said it continues to meet its responsibilities toward its staff and stressed that health workers must be compensated promptly for the difficult and dangerous work they are performing.

Mistrust makes a difficult outbreak even harder

The Ebola response is also facing another major obstacle: deep mistrust within affected communities.

Misinformation about the virus, fear of health authorities and resistance to restrictions surrounding traditional burial practices have contributed to hostility toward medical workers.

Several Ebola treatment facilities have reportedly come under attack.

In one incident, protesters seeking the bodies of relatives forced their way into a treatment facility, forcing health workers to move patients to safety as violence erupted nearby.

The United Nations has warned that numerous health facilities have been attacked amid fear, misinformation and mistrust.

For aid agencies, every disruption makes controlling the outbreak harder.

‘Chasing a wildfire from behind’

An aid worker familiar with the response warned that frontline health workers are carrying one of the heaviest burdens of the outbreak.

They are treating patients, preventing further infections and trying to maintain public confidence in the health system—all while putting their own lives at risk.

With the virus spreading beyond its original epicenter, workers need adequate protective equipment, staffing, financial support and timely salaries to continue operating safely.

Without that support, the consequences could be devastating.

“Every interruption gives the virus more time to spread,” the aid worker said, describing the response as “chasing a wildfire from behind.”

For Kayimpa, the message is simple.

She is willing to continue caring for Ebola patients—but she cannot continue indefinitely without being paid.

“As long as I don’t receive my wages, I will boycott work until I’m paid,” she said.

For a health worker standing between a deadly virus and the communities it threatens, the question is no longer simply whether she is brave enough to stay. It is whether she can afford to.