US-based Heart to Heart International (HHI) is set to open and operate an Ebola treatment unit (ETU) in Liberia, the nation hardest hit by the disease in West Africa.
HHI is currently building the 70-bed unit in Kakata, a city located in Margibi County approximately 70km north-east of Monrovia.
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Heart to Heart International CEO Jim Mitchum said: "Liberia, at the centre of this epidemic, is in desperate need of additional Ebola beds and personnel to care for patients and help bring the outbreak under control.
"Heart to Heart International will join two other NGOs who are already operating ETUs in Liberia."
The facility is expected to begin operations in November.
A non-governmental organisation has already supplied medical supplies, including protective equipment to Ebola caregivers in the country and an advanced team from HHI inspected the country to plan for further aid.
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By GlobalDataHeart to Heart International founder and board chair Dr Gary Morsch said: "What our advance team encountered in Liberia is unlike any health disaster we have ever seen, and we have seen many.
"The medical system is overwhelmed by the Ebola epidemic and every doctor and health official said the biggest need is more Ebola treatment units."
According to the World Health Organisation, roughly 3,834 Ebola cases were reported in Liberia, resulting in 2,069 deaths.
Image: Ebola virus virion. Photo: courtesy of CDC/Cynthia Goldsmith.
