Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Published : December 22, 2014 2:57 PM IST
London, Dec. 22: According to a research is published in journal Lancet Global Health, International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies have destabilized the capacity of health systems in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, three worst Ebola-hit nations in West Africa. Researchers from Cambridge University's Department of Sociology along with colleagues from Oxford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, have criticised the imposition of heavy limitations on development of efficient health systems in those countries, where over 6,800 people have been killed since March 2014. (Read: 8 tips to prevent Ebola infection)
In the study, researchers reviewed IMF policies before the outbreak began by analysing information obtained from IMF lending programme between 1990 and 2014. They identified three factors that were causing healthcare in those countries to weaken.
IMF economic reforms: The IMF needed economic reforms that caused a reduction in government spending, which according to the researchers absorbed funds that could be otherwise used to meet the increasing health challenges in those countries.
Caps on public sector wage bill: The IMF caps on the public sector wage bill had a huge impact on the capacity to hire and adequately pay key health care workers.
IMF campaigns: IMF campaigns for decentralized health care systems, in practice made mobilization of co-ordinated response for Ebola difficult.
However, the researchers noted that the IMF has pledged 430 million dollars of funding to combat the disease outbreak West Africa. (Read: 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans)
With inputs from ANI
Photo source: Getty images
For more articles on Ebola virus, visit our Ebola virus section. For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter.
