An Ebola Virus Treatment Center In Monrovia
A man stands at the gate of an Ebola virus treatment center in Monrovia September 21, 2014. Reuters

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said that an Australian-run treatment centre for patients suffering from Ebola had been open overnight in Sierra Leone. The building has been completed by the British and is located near Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital.

Bishop said that the patients would be referred to the treatment centre and that the operations would commence with five beds initially, in line with the best practice, reported The Guardian. She also said that the operations would be scaled up slowly to a capacity of 100 beds.

She explained that the centre would follow strict guidelines to make sure that the procedures for infection control are working effectively in addition to ensuring that the trained staff and safety practices are in place. She said that the first group of clinical staff from Australia are at the centre being trained by the Sierra Leone personnel.

Over a fortnight ago, the first group of 17 medical personnel from Australia left for Sierra Leone. The second group left on the second week of December.

Aspen Medical, a private Australian company, was provided $20 million by the Australian government to run the treatment centre in November. The move was taken after criticism that the Australian government was not acting fast enough to stop the spread of Ebola was at its peak. Another $3 million was announced by Bishop.

New Zealand's government contributed $2 million as well as sent 24 medical staff. Bishop welcomed this move and said that the joint commitment demonstrated the strength of the relationship between Australia and New Zealand, in addition to demonstrating the importance of a coordinated response to the outbreak of Ebola. The government of Australia has advised its citizens to reconsider their travel to countries which have been affected by Ebola which include Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

A year ago, Ebola was first detected in Africa and more than 6,500 people have died since them, a majority of them being from west Africa. The highest infection rate of Ebola is said to be in Sierra Leone. The World Health Organisation said that till date, more than 18,000 cases had been confirmed.