The Australian government will provide 17.4 million dollars for a private medical company to operate a UK-built treatment centre in Sierra Leone, following persistent calls for the country to provide practical help to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said some of the 240 clinic staff needed to run the 100-bed centre were likely to be Australian paid volunteers, but the government would not force anyone to perform this work.

It must be noted that Australia previously refused to send workers to tackle an epidemic that has killed about 5,000 people in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. It is the worst outbreak of the disease since it was identified in 1976.

It was too dangerous to deploy health teams because there were no proper plans to treat them should they become infected with Ebola, Abbott said.

Health groups and charities have welcomed the government's decision to boost its efforts to fight Ebola. Previously, Australia had donated 15.7 million dollars to assist the international response in West Africa.

The Australian Medical Association, UNICEF and Medecins Sans Frontieres have all welcomed the decision to help staff a clinic in Sierra Leone.

Australia became the first developed nation to issue a blanket ban on visas from the three most affected countries - Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone - sparking widespread criticism.

Jim Yong Kim, World Bank President, reported mixed progress in the fight against Ebola outbreak in West Africa, pointing to encouraging signs in Liberia and a worrisome trend in neighboring Sierra Leone.