The freeze had “a major impact on the functioning of the hospital”, it said, including blocking the payment of December wages to 500 employees. “We ask for the authorities to stop these discriminatory measures against Panzi’s only hospital,” it added. The hospital’s lawyer, Patient Bashombe, said the facility had been accused of tax evasion, even though “no public hospital in DRC has ever paid tax.” “Seizing the hospital’s accounts is illegal,” he said in a statement, accusing the authorities of “hounding” the centre. Dozens of hospital workers waving banners calling on the government to “Free our money” and “Stop hounding Panzi hospital” demonstrated Wednesday afternoon outside the tax office in Bukavu. Ruger Buhendwa, who was among the demonstrators, told AFP his family had not been able to celebrate Christmas because his salary had not been paid. “Tomorrow, New Year’s Day, will be the same,” he said. Government spokesman Lambert Mende refused to comment on the case, saying it was a “judicial” rather than a political matter. The prosecutor general’s office was not available for comment. Founded by Mukwege in 1999, Panzi hospital specialises in treating survivors of violence in eastern DRC, where rivals fighting for control of vast mineral riches have used mass rape to terrorise the local population for decades. Mukwege last month launched an impassioned appeal to his compatriots, saying that insecurity and bad governance were keeping their resource-rich African nation in deep poverty. “Our country is sick but, together, with our friends around the world, we can and will heal,” the 59-year-old said, as he received the European Parliament’s Sakharov rights prize for helping thousands of gang rape victims.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 02:45:10 +0000