Announcement includes Call to Action for recruitment of Canadian medical personnel for 8 week deployment with Canadian Red Cross.
Minister of Health Rona Ambrose announcement comes with and additional $20.9 million funding.
Full CBC story below.
Ebola outbreak: Canada sending 40 military medical personnel to Africa
Canada gives $20.9M in additional funding to bring total commitment to $113.5M
By Hannah Thibdeau, CBC News Posted: Nov 27, 2014 12:40 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 27, 2014 1:49 PM ET
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Canada is offering 40 military personnel and an additional $20.9 million to help fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, while calling for health care workers willing to “join the fight” against the disease in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Libera, the three most-affected countries.
Health Minister Rona Ambrose and Defence Minister Rob Nicholson announced the new measures at a press conference in Ottawa Thursday.
Ambrose pledged the government would support Canadians willing to undertake an eight-week commitment in Africa, including maintaining full pay and benefits for federal workers who volunteer.
From left, Judith Bossé, assistant deputy minister of health, Defence Minister Rob Nicholson, Health Minister Rona Ambrose and Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Gregory Taylor watch a health-care worker demonstrate the use of protective equipment to prevent infection from the Ebola virus, at an Ottawa hospital Thursday. (Catherine Cullen/CBC)
The eight weeks include one week of training, four weeks in the field and three weeks recovery, Ambrose said.
The Department of National Defence will send Canadian Forces health-care and support staff to Sierra Leone for up to six months. The Canadian military doctors, nurses and medics will be stationed with personnel from the United Kingdom at the Kerry Town Treatment Unit, treating health-care workers who have been exposed to the deadly virus.
“Our uniformed health professionals and support staff will be highly trained and well supported as they join their British military medical counterparts,” Nicholson said in a statement.
The $20.9 million will be given to 10 humanitarian organizations:
- For treatment and psychological support.
- To help local communities cope with the outbreak.
- To train medical personnel and emergency experts who will be deployed to the region.
The Red Cross says it has 17 people currently on the ground, and the additional money for urgent training needs will help fill the demand for health-care workers in Ebola treatment centres in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
“Since the beginning of this Ebola outbreak in March 2014, recruiting doctors, nurses and support staff has been our greatest challenge,” said Conrad Sauvé, secretary general of the Canadian Red Cross.
With the announcement Thursday, Canada has committed $113.5 million to help in the fight against Ebola.
According to the World Health Organization, there were 15,351 reported cases and 5,459 deaths worldwide.
Canada came under fire from the WHO earlier this month for announcing it was suspending new travel visas for residents from “high-risk” countries in the Ebola-affected areas of West Africa. Canada also halted processing permanent residence visas for people from those countries.
Two weeks ago, Canada also announced it was imposing new self-quarantine measures for “high-risk” travellers from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, three of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak.