Tough International Monetary Fund debt repayment policies prevented three African countries from effectively responding to the Ebola crisis, three professors from leading British universities said in a new study.

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone did not properly invest in their healthcare systems because they were too concerned with repaying IMF loans, the researchers allege in a report in The Lancet Global Health journal this month, reported The Associated Press.

"The IMF aims to become part of the solution to the crisis ... Yet, could it be that the IMF had contributed to the circumstances that enabled the crisis to arise in the first place?" asked the study, led by Cambridge University sociologist Alexander Kentikelenis and co-authored by Lawrence King of Cambridge, Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and David Stuckler of Oxford University.

The IMF enabled the Ebola crisis to arise because its lending guidelines require governments to prioritize repaying loans over investing in health care, according to the study, which cited IMF statistics showing the terms of the loans to the three countries.

Guinea has been under an IMF austerity program for 21 years, Sierra Leone for 19 years and Liberia for seven years, according to the AP.

"Policies advocated by the IMF have contributed to under-funded, insufficiently staffed, and poorly prepared health systems in the countries with Ebola outbreaks," said Kentikelenis, which is one of the major reasons the outbreak spread so quickly, according to the report.

So far, nearly 8,000 people have been killed by Ebola, and as of Dec. 29, more than 20,000 people have been infected, reported The Hill.

The IMF denied that its loan repayment policies hindered social spending, and pointed to data showing improved health outcomes, as well as increased health spending in those countries. The IMF noted that it will provide additional debt relief in order to free funds so the countries can spend more on health care.

@ 2018 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.