More than twenty doctors are calling on Western countries, including Belgium, to send medical teams to West Africa to assist in the fight against Ebola, De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad reported on Tuesday. During natural disasters and emergency situations abroad, Westerners are immediately ready to send rapid response teams such as B-Fast in Belgium. "When will the West provide assistance in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea?" questioned the authors of this appeal.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the European Commission announced that they have released 200 million euros to help the local population. However, according to Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst, this is not enough."More medical staff is needed," he says. "We are ready to leave, the lab team from B-Fast has the proper equipment, but we can’t afford the tickets," he added."This type of operation must be supervised, financed and mandated by the government."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded, stating that "B-Fast does not have the skills to deal with an epidemic of this magnitude."
(Source:Belga)
