The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has exposed the very poor health systems in the affected countries, and donors are starting to take notice: A number of them have announced assistance focused on strengthening the region's health infrastructure and human resource capacity.
In August, the World Bank pledged as much as $200 million in emergency funding for the urgent purchase of medical supplies and provision of salaries for medical staff, and to build the region's disease surveillance and laboratory networks. It will also help provide social safety nets for communities affected by the epidemic.
Also in August, the African Development Bank announced a three-year, $60 million multination response plan that aims to train skilled professionals and equip them with protective suits and items that are needed to respond to such epidemics. The plan also intends to put in place emergency alert and response systems, rehabilitate hospital facilities and help boost local capacity in the use of public resources and the development of communication campaigns.