Australia to pay $15bn to help Saudi Arabia recover from Ebola outbreak
Updated June 15, 2020 05:19:22The $15 billion will go to a Saudi Arabian consortium which will help rebuild the Sinai Hospital, the capital of Saudi Arabia, which was the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in the country.
The Sinais hospitals are expected to reopen soon, although it is unclear when.
Saudi Arabia’s health minister, Dr Ahmed al-Naimi, said on Sunday the government was planning to provide $10 billion of the $15-billion amount to rebuild the countrys healthcare system.
“The hospital was the mainstay of our nations health system and we are ready to use the money for this purpose,” he said.
“We are committed to ensuring the security of the people and that our people are well and safe in the hospital.”
Dr Naimi added that the government would provide additional funding to other countries to help with the recovery.
Australia is one of several countries which are taking on the task of managing the coronavirus pandemic.
The United States, which has spent $10.3 billion on healthcare, said last month that it would spend $7.5 billion on recovery.
The US government has also said that it is providing $3.3bn for the country to deal with the pandemic, but this is far short of the amount required.