Africa Top Success Ils font l'Afrique
The African Development Bank (ADB) intends to strengthen public health systems of West Africa facing particularly the Ebola crisis.
The institution just granted 60 million dollar subsidy included in a global amount of 120 million dollars « to be operated immediately« .
This help joins an emergency plan set up by the ADB for countermeasures against the epidemic that has been destroying several countries of Africa since last March.
According to a communiqué, « the ADB Board meeting, usually on holidays during August, convened an emergency meeting, showing thus the determination of the institution to help countries to face this public health crisis« .
« With more than 2000 diagnosed cases for 1145 deaths, this situation is an alert for the international community. It means that such a tragedy would have been avoided if investments for health systems strengthening had been realized« , underlined the document.
We should note that the subsidy from the ADB will be given to the World Health Organization (WHO) sub-regional center for Ebola coordination based in Conakry in Guinea, considering its vast experience in the management of the world epidemics, specified the communiqué.
The same source specified that this subsidy is a part of a larger support for 210 million dollars including 150 million dollars as loans and subsidies, just like the 60 million dollar donation.
It added that the amount of 60 million dollars includes four subsidies for one million dollars as emergency aid for each of the four affected countries, or a total of four million dollars.
The epidemic of Ebola began in Guinea in March 2014 and quickly was spread in Liberia, Sierra Leone and in Nigeria.
In its last report published on Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) lists 2 240 affected people among whom 1 229 died.
« This is one of the most complicated public health crises we ever had. We are not simply facing a disease, but also the complete health systems collapsing in some countries of the region« , raised Donald Kaberuka (picture), Chairman of the ADB.
Original text by: Blaise AKAME
