Nurses' strike leaves 60 patients without care in DR Congo
Around 60 patients at Onema Ototo hospital in Sankuru are not receiving treatment after nurses began a strike over pay and risk bonuses.
Around 60 patients at the Onema Ototo general reference hospital in the Sankuru province are without care following a nurses' strike that began last week. The nurses are demanding administrative and financial support from the government, along with payment of their risk premiums. Patients previously in various wards are now consolidated in one pavilion due to the lack of nursing staff.
Patients who underwent surgery before the strike reported that their wounds are not being dressed and they are not receiving injections. One patient described the situation as precarious, with surgical wounds unmaintained and a lack of essential medical care, urging authorities to intervene. The head of the Ototo health zone, Dr. Mathieu Lotshilenge, confirmed that the zone faces a shortage of medical personnel and administrative and financial difficulties.
Dr. Lotshilenge stated that the health zone has only three doctors, with one on leave. Of the remaining two, only he receives a premium but is not salaried, while the rest of the staff are neither salaried nor receive premiums. The approximately 60 patients remain in precarious conditions at the hospital, awaiting a government response to the healthcare workers' demands to resume medical services.
Why it matters60 patients in the Sankuru province are not receiving necessary medical treatment due to a strike by nurses demanding better pay and conditions.