The current response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa is grossly inadequate in relation to the scope of the outbreak and now is the time for European governments to truly commit themselves to mobilising resources. This was the message of an open letter from forty-four prominent public health professionals, including GHP’s director Ilona Kickbusch, published in the Lancet on 26 September.
The letter calls for four important and feasible measures based on the signatories experience in public health and emergency response. The first is to create mechanisms allowing European healthcare professionals to have temporary leave with hazard pay in order to lend their capacities to the overburdened healthcare systems in West Africa.
The second measure is to contribute basic requirements such as electricity generators, clean water and food, as well as technical support in the form of field hospitals, surveillance resources, diagnostic equipment and mobile software and technology.
The third requests the provision of protective equipment and disinfectants, and the final call is for the resumption of transport to the region so that needed supplies can reach affected populations.
Europe should also use this response as a way of promoting longer-term goals of strengthening existing systems by channeling funds to national actors on the ground and establishing mechanisms for governance, monitoring, and evaluation. Similarly, the signatories point out that if Europe is to commit the substantial amount of money that is necessary to confront this growing epidemic, it has a duty to its constituents and beneficiaries to ensure that this money is used in an accountable, transparent, and effective way. Lastly, those affected should benefit for their contribution to research in the discovery and development of new drugs and vaccines.
In this way, it is hoped that Europe can act as an example for what should be a consolidated, committed and commensurate global response to an increasing international public health threat.