The foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, says decision to close centre came after situation in Ebola-affected countries had ‘stabilised’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Australia will close an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone at the end of April, recouping $7.5m for the emergency humanitarian fund in the diminished foreign aid budget.

The foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, said that the decision to close the centre came after the situation for Ebola-affected countries had “stabilised”.

The federal government had originally provided $20m to a private medical company, Aspen Medical, to run the facility, which was built just outside the capital, Freetown, by Britain.



In December Bishop announced that Australia would increase its funding to the centre by $5m, and the New Zealand government offered $2m.

“I congratulate Aspen Medical for its professionalism in managing Australia’s Ebola treatment centre and thank the dedicated healthcare workers who delivered Australia’s contribution,” Bishop said on Monday.

The centre has treated 216 patients since starting up in December 2014. Thirty six patients were cleared of the virus and sent home, and a further 120 were monitored and discharged after testing negative.

The centre is run by Sierra Leonean staff, as well as Australian and New Zealander medical professionals, and can treat 100 patients at full capacity.

“Over 250 Sierra Leonean staff have been trained at Australia’s Ebola treatment centre, building skills and capacity in Sierra Leone,” Bishop said.

It is unclear if the building will continue to be used as a medical centre, and whether leftover drugs and medical equipment will be donated to the Sierra Leonean government.



Guardian Australia has sought comment from Bishop’s office in relation to the future of the facility after Australia pulls funding. Aspen Medical directed all media inquiries to the minister’s office.

The $7.5m gained from the closure of the facility is a small but welcome saving in the shrinking foreign aid budget.

The government set aside $120m for the 2014-15 financial year for the emergency humanitarian fund so Australia could respond swiftly to sudden disasters or emergencies.

The foreign aid portfolio has lost $11bn over forward estimates, and many in the aid sector want the $7.5m to be spent on building post-outbreak resilience in the impoverished regions of West Africa so that future disease outbreaks have less impact.

“While the acute phase of the Ebola epidemic appears to be receding, and that is certainly welcome, Sierra Leone will need long-term assistance with its social and economic recovery, as well as the task of strengthening its health systems,” a World Vision spokesman, Stuart Rintoul, said.

Aid organisations acknowledge that the number of new infections is declining, but they are warning donor countries not to turn a blind eye to the continuing effects of the outbreak.

“People need cash in their hands now, they need good jobs to feed their families in the near future, and decent health, education and other essential services. They’ve gone through hell. They cannot be left high and dry,” Oxfam’s humanitarian advocacy lead, Ben Murphy, said.



“Australia should participate fully in any recovery, pledging conferences or appeals to do everything they can to reduce secondary impacts.”

On Sunday the World Bank pledged $US650m to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, saying that the countries had lost $US2.2bn in GDP already in 2015 because of the outbreak, which has killed more than 10,700 people worldwide.

