Bodies in street as Sierra Leone burial teams on strike

A STRIKE by Ebola burial teams in Sierra Leone has resulted in abandoned bodies being left in the streets of the capital.

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More than 3,400 people have been killed by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has hit Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia hardest.

Last night, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation reported that bodies of Ebola victims were being left in homes and on the streets of Freetown because of the strike by burial teams, who complained they had not been paid. The dead bodies of Ebola victims are highly contagious.

While in neighbouring Liberia, health workers said they also planned to strike if their demands for more money and safety equipment were not met by the end of the week.

Speaking on radio, Sierra Leone’s deputy health minister Madina Rahman claimed the strike had been “resolved”, though organisers could not immediately be reached to confirm it was over. The dispute centred on a week-long delay for hazard pay that had been deposited in the bank, but was not given to burial teams on time.

“The health ministry is going to investigate the delay in the health workers not receiving their money,” Ms Rahman said. The burial teams make up a total of 600 workers organised in groups of 12, health ministry spokesman Sidie Yahya Tunis said.

Mr Tunis described the situation as “very embarrassing”. The government was already facing criticism this week over a shipping container filled with medical gear and mattresses that has been held up at the port for more than a month.

Irish Independent

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