WASHINGTON, May 17, 2018—The World Bank announced today that it is making US$3 million immediately available to support the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s Ebola Virus Disease Response Plan (EVDRP) to fight the current Ebola outbreak in the country. The funds will be used to finance health care services in the health facilities serving the affected population, to provide medicines required for the case management of Ebola patients and suspected cases of Ebola, and to finance support and logistics.
“We commend the DRC Government’s rapid mobilization to address the current Ebola outbreak,” said Jean-Christophe Carret, Country Director for the Democratic Republic of Congo at the World Bank Group. “We will continue our strong and ongoing engagement with the Government to ensure a robust response.”
The financing announced today could increase to up to US$15 million if needed as part of the disease surveillance and response funding available under the current Health Systems Strengthening project in DRC.
“We are committed to working with the DRC Government and with all partners coordinated by the World Health Organization to mount an effective response,” said Tim Evans, Senior Director, Health Nutrition and Population at the World Bank Group. ”If additional financing is needed, the World Bank Group stands ready to increase its support.”
The World Bank’s IDA-financed health system investments in DRC total $US400 million and target 11 out of 26 provinces in the country, including Equateur, the province currently most affected by the outbreak. The World Bank investments in the country are co-financed by the Global Financing Facility, The Global Fund for AIDS TB and Malaria (GFATM) and USAID.
In addition to the financing allocated specifically for disease surveillance, further funds could also be activated using the Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) of the World Bank’s overall health system investments. The CERC is expressly designed to mitigate situations of urgent need or capacity constraints and allows for the rapid reallocation of funding in the event of a natural or man-made disaster or crisis that has caused, or is likely to imminently cause, a major adverse economic and/or social impact.
