MORE than 80 New Zealanders want to join an Australian mission in Sierra Leone to fight Ebola.
INITIAL registrations for deployment close on Sunday with 82 Kiwis putting their names forward to help operate a 100-bed treatment centre, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says.
“People with a range of skills have registered, including nurses, GPs, pharmacists, and administrators.” The Australian government has contracted Aspen Medical, a private medical provider, to manage the mission in Sierra Leone. Aspen will be responsible for selecting, training, contracting and deploying all volunteers, including those from New Zealand. The government asked for expressions of interest in November and said it would deploy up to 24 New Zealanders as part of its $NZ2 million ($A1.86 million) practical contribution to combat Ebola in West Africa, Dr Coleman said. The first deployment was expected to take place in the new year.