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 Australia last week became the first developed nation to issue a
blanket ban on visas from the three most Ebola-affected countries -
Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia - sparking widespread criticism.
Australia will provide A$20 million ($17.5 million) to staff a
100-bed treatment centre that will be built by Britain and run by
Aspen Medical, a private Australian company.
"We anticipate about 240 staff required to do the job," Abbott told
reporters in Sydney. "Most of them will be locally engaged. Some
will be international and it's quite possible, even likely, that
some will be Australian."
Australia had already committed around A$18 million to fight the
outbreak of the virus, but had been called on by U.S. President
Barack Obama, opposition lawmakers and medical bodies such as
Doctors Without Borders to do more.
"There are many Australians who wish to volunteer to use their
skills, committed and capable doctors and nurses who wish to help in
the fight against Ebola," opposition leader Bill Shorten.
"However, we believe that the government, whilst this is a welcome,
overdue step, has not gone as far as it should to help tackle the
scourge at the source."
Oxfam also welcomed the move and urged the government to consider
deploying the Australian military to help with logistics and other
support.
Abbott's government had raised concerns that any medical staff
infected with the disease would not have access to treatment and
would face a dangerous 30-hour evacuation flight home. Britain had
given assurances that any Australian staff infected with Ebola would
be treated as if they were a British citizen, Abbott said.
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Ebola can take as long as three weeks before its victims show
symptoms, at which point the disease becomes contagious. Ebola,
which can cause fever, vomiting and diarrhoea, spreads through
contact with bodily fluids such as blood or saliva.
World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim on Tuesday criticised Asian
countries for not contributing enough to the global effort to fight
Ebola, despite having a wealth of trained medical personnel.
The World Health Organisation says the outbreak, the most deadly on
record, has killed some 5,000 people. No cases have been diagnosed
in Australia, although there have been a number of scares.
Abbott said Australia would step up measures at its borders to
protect against Ebola entering the country, including requesting
21-day traveller history declarations, additional questioning and
temperature checking of "passengers of concern".
(Editing by Nick Macfie and Jeremy Laurence)
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