Following
alarming evidence of the spread of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the World
Bank Group has announced that it will nearly double its financing to $400
million to help the worst-affected countries address the emergency and build
stronger health systems for the years ahead.
This
represents $170 million in new funding. With this announcement, the bank will
put $230 million toward the emergency response and $170 million for medium- and
long-term projects.
The
new resources – which the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors will
consider in the coming weeks – will be targeted at rapidly increasing the
health care workforce and purchasing needed supplies in order to bring care and
treatment to all parts of the affected countries.
The
funding also is aimed at
