African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved additional 60 million dollars grant investment for immediate implementation to help strengthen West Africa’s public health systems in response to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) crisis.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, the bank said the grant would support West Africa’s EVD outbreak response plan from August to December.
“This grant is part of a 210-million dollar package, including 150 million dollars in loans and grants as well as four emergency assistance grants of one million dollars to each of the four countries affected by Ebola.
“The 60 million-dollar grant is awarded to the World Health Organisation (WHO) sub-regional Ebola Outbreak Coordinating Centre located in Conakry, Guinea, given their extensive experience with global epidemics.
“The project will support ongoing efforts to reduce morbidity, mortality from Ebola and help break the chain of transmission of the disease by strengthening sub-regional public health systems,” it said.
The statement said the bank’s assistance would support overall strengthening of public health systems in West Africa to facilitate early detection and response to epidemics and pandemic prone diseases.
It said the proposed project critically was aimed at responding to the specific needs identified by the expert community in response to the Category 3 world emergency epidemic.
The statement said the bank’s project would be coordinated by the WHO sub-regional Ebola Outbreak Coordinating Centre in Conakry along with the West African Health Organisation (WAHO).
It said that a joint memorandum for intervention practices and management procedures would be signed between the bank, WHO and WAHO regional organisation representing the governments of West Africa.
The countries are Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Mali, Senegal and The Gambia.
It said that the Ebola crisis could have been prevented if investments were directed toward building stronger health systems and described the crisis as the most complicated health crisis in West Africa.
The AfDB President, Dr Donald Kaberuka, said it was not simply dealing with a health problem but the breakdown of entire health systems in the affected countries.
It said AfDB’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nelly Iteba, said the bank had taken adequate measures to protect its staff.
Iteba said EVD could be managed with strict adherence to standard infection control practices, basic medical equipment and necessary medication.
“For instance, availability of sterilisation equipment, intravenous fluids, blood transfusions, antibiotics, ventilators, powerful vasoactive medications can improve patient care and save lives.
“Also, skilled health professionals equipped with personal protective equipment and availability of modern diagnostic equipment can make all the difference in containing the spread of EVD,” it said. (NAN)
