Politician Slams UK Govt. for Failure to Invest More in Sierra Leone

The UK Shadow Secretary of State for International Development criticized the UK Government for under-investing in Sierra Leone's healthcare.

MOSCOW, January 14 (Sputnik) — Mary Creagh, the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, has criticized the UK Government over its failure to provide long-term investment in healthcare in Ebola-hit Sierra Leone.

"Govt failure to invest in Sierra Leone healthcare prior to #Ebola outbreak shows Tory & LibDem short term thinking," Creagh, who is also a Labour Party member of parliament, wrote on her Twitter account on Wednesday.

Govt failure to invest in Sierra Leone healthcare prior to #Ebola outbreak shows Tory & LibDem short term thinking — http://t.co/I1h0opX9Xn

— Mary Creagh MP (@marycreagh_mp) January 14, 2015

In December 2014, the UK International Development Committee stated in its report Responses to the Ebola Crisis that the British Department for International Development (DFID), a government office responsible for overseas aid, "has committed £230 million [$350 million] to tackling Ebola".

However, Creagh pointed to the fact that this short-term funding, provided by DFID, was not enough to combat the disease and prevent the spread of the deadly virus in other countries.

Ebola has claimed over 8,000 lives, mostly in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, according to the latest World Health Organization data.

In September 2014, the UN requested about $1 billion to combat the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, but donations still fall short of the sum needed.