Dozens of Rwampara Hospital Workers Strike Over 2 Months of Unpaid Wages Amid 2,500 Ebola Cases
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 24
Dozens of Rwampara Hospital Workers Strike Over 2 Months of Unpaid Wages Amid 2,500 Ebola Cases
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 24
Summary
Dozens of staff at Rwampara General Hospital near Bunia stopped work last week, saying they have gone unpaid since the Ebola outbreak was declared in May.
The strike hits a major Ebola treatment centre in Ituri, where frontline workers say they face infection risk, too little protective equipment and transport costs they can no longer cover.
More than 100 health workers have been infected and about 35 have died, while some teams also face violent community hostility; parts of the Rwampara centre were burned in May.
WHO says the Bundibugyo-strain outbreak could become one of the worst recorded, with more than 2,500 cases and 1,000 deaths in eastern DRC by July 21.
A new Ebola vaccine is in trials, but can it succeed when frontline health workers are unpaid, attacked, and dying?
As prior aid cuts fuel an Ebola crisis, are strict travel bans a real solution or a sign of a failing global health strategy?
Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak in DRC Tops 2,000 Cases: Health Worker Strike Deepens Crisis
Overview
In July 2026, health workers across the Democratic Republic of Congo began a major strike due to inadequate pay, poor working conditions, and a severe lack of protective supplies. This strike erupted just as the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak worsened, with cases surpassing 2,000 and the virus spreading to new provinces. The absence of frontline responders has made it much harder to contain what is now one of the worst Ebola outbreaks ever recorded. The strike and outbreak together highlight how systemic issues in pay and safety for health workers can directly fuel the spread of deadly diseases.