Saudi Arabia’s King offers $35m to fight Ebola

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdallah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud has extended a grant of $35 million to help fight Ebola in West Africa.

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has been mandated to implement an Ebola fighting programme that includes establishing a specialised treatment centre in each of the three endemic countries, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

The treatment centre will be designed in these countries to serve suspected cases in schools, hospitals and public transport, and wherever contamination is likely to occur in crowded conditions.

Suspected cases will be received in these centres for further medical tests before they are referred for specialised treatment if necessary.

President of IDB, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, told the media in a In a press statement the programme to fight the deadly disease also includes providing schools with thermal sensors and medical examination equipment designed to diagnose the disease.

This is to facilitate treatment and prevent  spread.

“The equipment will allow governments to open schools for the current academic year. Pupils will be examined at entry to ensure they have not contracted the disease, thus reassuring parents about the safety of their children at school”, the statement said.

Also, in Mali where Ebola seems to have broken out but is not widespread, a specialised treatment centre will be established there.

The centre will help the country’s health authorities cope with potential epidemics in the future.

However, throughout the West Africa sub-region, thermal sensors and medical examination equipment will be provided at airports, railway stations and bus stations to diagnose the disease and ensure early treatment.

The IDB President emphasised that the kind donation made by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdallah, will further boost the Islamic world efforts in supporting the international fight against Ebola.

He added that the equipment financed by this donation will speed up the opening of schools in the countries concerned, reinforce the institutional and health infrastructure to fight the current epidemic and any potential epidemics in the future.

Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Ali extolled King Abdallah’s donation.

According to Forbes, King Abdullah is among the world’s most powerful people ranked 8th globally.

By: George Nyavor