Britain sent its first batch of army reserves to Sierra Leone to help tackle the Ebola outbreak, Britain’s defence ministry said.

The reserve and 100 regular personnel from Britain’s three services departed from Royal Air Force (RAF) Brize Norton base alongside members of the Canadian military, Xinhua reported.

The personnel will operate a facility reserved to treat healthcare workers with Ebola in Sierra Leone, according to the statement.

“We are fully committed to providing our reserve forces with the best training and support, fully integrating them with their regular counterparts,” British Minister for Reserves Julian Brazier said.

In Sierra Leone, there are already around 800 British military personnel, with logisticians, planners and engineers overseeing the final stages of construction on British facilities across the country, the statement added.

The facilities were designed to provide the infrastructure for a total of 700 beds.