Liberia’s attempt to contain Ebola hit as health workers go on strike

Monday, October 13, 2014
By Paul Martin

Health workers demanding danger money for looking after Ebola patients have begun their threatened walkout

Sam Jones
The Guardian
Monday 13 October 2014

Liberia’s efforts to contain Ebola suffered a further blow on Monday after health workers demanding increased danger money for looking after patients with the disease began their threatened walkout.

The National Health Workers Association of Liberia (NHWAL) ignored government pleas to refrain from striking and urged its members to stay off work after midnight on Monday. The call to strike was for nurses, medical assistants, lab technicians and other health workers, but did not include doctors.

The NHWAL chairman, Joseph Tamba, said the call had been “massively” followed, adding: “Health workers across the country have downed tools as we asked them to do.”

According to one unconfirmed report, industrial action by those looking after sick people may already have resulted in deaths.

In the capital Monrovia, where staff at Island Clinic, the largest government-run Ebola facility, have been on a “go-slow” for three days, a patient quoted on local radio described scenes of desolation with sick people deserted by staff.

“We are at the Ebola treatment unit and no one is taking care of us,” the unnamed man said. “Last night several patients died. Those who can walk are trying to escape by climbing over the fence.”

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