Democrats raise concerns with hospital’s response to Ebola

House Democrats are raising concerns with the preparedness of U.S. medical facilities after a Texas hospital last week nearly missed a case of Ebola.

In a letter to Energy and Commerce Committee leadership, Democratic lawmakers questioned why a Liberian man who experienced symptoms of Ebola had been sent home after he first arrived for treatment. He later returned to the hospital in an ambulance and was diagnosed with the deadly disease Tuesday.

Democrats said while U.S. health officials “appear to be taking all of the appropriate steps,” the committee should assess whether that response is sufficient. 

“There are many questions about the case in Dallas, including how the patient contracted the disease, why the Dallas hospital initially discharged the patient, and what measures are being taken to trace the patient’s contacts,” the letter reads.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Wednesday that the hospital had “dropped the ball” by failing to communicate the man’s travel history to his doctors. 

“A travel history was taken, but it wasn’t communicated to the people who were making the decision,” Fauci told CNN. “It was a mistake.”

The Democrats are also calling a probe on whether healthcare providers have enough information and resources to treat Ebola and whether U.S. officials are adequately screening people at the country’s points of entry. 

The lawmakers also said the U.S. should examine whether a lack of funding has weakened the nation’s response to preventing Ebola.

The nation’s two largest health agencies — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — have been hit hard by budget cuts in recent years. The CDC’s budget has shrunk by $600 million over the last four years while the NIH budget lost $29.9 billion in funding because of sequestration cuts.

The Republican head of the committee, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), said Tuesday that he would schedule a hearing with top health officials “in the next several weeks.”