OSLO, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Norway has decided to make a new contribution of 89 million kroner (about 14.84 million U.S. dollars) to the fight against Ebola in West Africa, the Norwegian news agency NTB reported Monday.
"The situation is critical in the Ebola-affected countries in West Africa. The outbreak is still accelerating faster than the response. It requires a dramatic and rapid scale-up of efforts to stop the outbreak," Foreign Minister Boerge Brende said.
With the newly-committed contribution, Norway's financial support for combating Ebola has amounted to 184 million kroner (about 30.67 million dollars).
Norway is working together with UN agencies, Britain and other relevant stakeholders with an offer to support their operations with personnel and equipment, Brende said at a joint press conference with Health Minister Bent Hoeie and Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide.
Soereide said Norway should be prepared to provide airlift support to transport personnel and equipment if needed.
Norway has an evacuation plan now in place for taking suspected Ebola-infected Norwegians home from abroad by using the services of a U.S. civilian ambulance company.
