ICN urges DRC to pay and protect nurses amid Ebola outbreak

The International Council of Nurses is pressing the Democratic Republic of Congo’s health minister to immediately pay and protect nurses responding to an escalating Ebola outbreak. ICN says unpaid wages, weak protections and rising hostility could undermine the outbreak response and put health workers at greater risk.

Why it matters: - Nurses are a core part of the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and ICN says the outbreak cannot be contained if the workforce is unpaid and unprotected. - Delayed wages, missing protections and rising hostility can push health workers out of the response when they are most needed. - ICN says the issue is not only about labor rights. It is also about stopping Ebola and protecting public health.

What happened: - The International Council of Nurses wrote to DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba demanding immediate action to pay and protect nurses and other health workers responding to the Ebola outbreak. - ICN said it has been in contact with nurses and the DRC Ordre National des Infirmiers since the earliest days of the outbreak. - ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton said nurses are risking their lives and should be paid what they are owed.

The details: - Nurses and health workers on the front line say they have gone unpaid for two to three months. - ICN said administrative and verification delays do not justify withholding pay from the workers needed to bring the outbreak under control. - The letter calls for payment of all outstanding wages and risk allowances, plus regular future payments. - ICN also wants adequate PPE, insurance, compensation and other essential protections. - Catton said nurses are the largest group of health professionals and are often the public’s most trusted health profession. - ICN said nurses play a key role in delivering care, leadership and trusted health information to communities. - ICN said that trusted role is especially important as health misinformation and distrust spread during the crisis. - ICN said that misinformation is undermining public health measures and exposing health workers to hostility and violence. - ICN warned that the response risks repeating COVID-19, when at least 115,000 health workers worldwide died and many nurses faced poor PPE access and low or unpaid wages.

Between the lines: - ICN is framing payment and protection as operational necessities, not just workplace demands. - The warning reflects a broader lesson from COVID-19: health systems struggle when governments rely on nurses but fail to protect or compensate them. - The appeal also suggests distrust and misinformation may be weakening the Ebola response on the ground.

What's next: - ICN is pressing the DRC government to act immediately on wages, allowances and protections. - The group wants regular pay guaranteed going forward. - ICN says protecting, paying and retaining nurses must be treated as part of the emergency public health response.

The bottom line: - ICN says the Ebola response in DRC depends on paying nurses on time and giving them the protection they need to keep working.