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Unpaid Ebola Responders Disrupt Congo’s Fight Against Outbreak
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is fighting a large Ebola outbreak.
Some people helping fight the disease have not been paid.
Because of this, workers at checkpoints and treatment centers have gone on strike.
Some checkpoints stopped sending reports about possible infections.
Other workers stopped cleaning and disinfecting places where Ebola patients were treated.
The government says some names on payment lists may belong to people who do not really work there.
It is checking workers with fingerprints or other biometric registration.
However, these checks have also delayed payments to genuine workers.
The delays make it harder to find, treat and contain Ebola cases.
Unpaid staff caused six Ebola checkpoints in Haut-Uélé to stop reporting during a strike.
Only 40 of 240 workers listed at one Ebola center could be located by officials.
The government is using biometric registration and centralized payments to remove fictitious workers from payrolls.
Payment disputes have disrupted screening, treatment admissions, decontamination and infection-control work across several provinces.
As of Monday, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had recorded 6,186 confirmed infections and 3,007 deaths.
- Who
- Healthcare workers, Ebola responders and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Public Health are involved.
- What
- Payment disputes and suspected fictitious entries on payroll lists are disrupting the Ebola response.
- Where
- The disruptions affected Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, Tshopo and Bunia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- When
- The latest strikes and disruptions occurred in August; the reported case and death figures were current as of Monday.
- Why
- The government is trying to remove fictitious workers and reconcile payroll records, but the verification process has delayed payments to genuine responders.
Government and payroll reform
Responders and public-health critics
Cause of payment delays
Government and payroll reform
Public Health Minister Roger Kamba says money is available and blames many delays on manipulation and fictitious names in personnel lists.
Responders and public-health critics
Workers and public-health observers point to delayed payments and poor payroll administration as reasons genuine responders have gone unpaid and on strike.
Biometric verification
Government and payroll reform
The government says biometric registration and centralized payments can prevent inflated or fraudulent lists and improve payment accuracy.
Responders and public-health critics
The verification process is slowing payments to genuine workers while the outbreak response continues, disrupting essential services.
Underlying system problem
Government and payroll reform
Officials are trying to reconcile payroll records and beneficiary lists to resolve disputes and improve accountability.
Responders and public-health critics
Research cited in the reports says Congo’s health workforce has expanded beyond its funded payroll, with unreliable Excel-based lists and limited formal registration contributing to longstanding nonpayment.
Key facts
- Confirmed infections
- 6,186 as of Monday
- Recorded deaths
- 3,007 as of Monday
- Unpaid checkpoint responders
- Only 5 of 18 responders in North Kivu had been paid by Aug. 19
- Unpaid community workers
- Some community-engagement workers in North Kivu and Tshopo had gone unpaid for three months
- Suspected fictitious payment entries
- Public Health Minister Roger Kamba estimated that 15% to 20% of people submitted for some recent payments were fictitious
- Health-worker payroll coverage
- Among almost 256,000 workers on personnel lists, fewer than 20% received a base salary in 2022
- Previous Ebola audit
- An audit during the 2018–2020 Ebola epidemic found irregularities involving 1,813 responders
Quotes
Stylianos Moshonas
University of Antwerp researcher who has studied Congo’s public administration
“You have an inflation in staffing levels without the budget being able to keep up with paying all those people.”
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“The Ministry of Health doesn’t have an accurate image of who works where and does what.”
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Roger Kamba
Congo’s public health minister
“We are always trying to cheat, to add.”
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Sources
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