Obama praises recovered Ebola patient

President Obama on Wednesday called Dr. Craig Spencer, the final remaining U.S. Ebola patient who was discharged earlier this week after doctors found he had been cured of the deadly virus.

The president praised Spencer, who contracted Ebola during a Doctors Without Borders mission to West Africa, “for his selflessness and compassion in fighting this disease on the frontlines,” the White House said in a statement.

{mosads}“The president underscored that his administration would continue to support those who—similar to Dr. Spencer—wish to act on that admirable commitment to serve others,” the White House said. “The president noted that the most effective way to protect against Ebola cases at home is to continue to fight the disease at its source.”

Obama and other top administration officials have complained about tough new quarantine policies imposed on returning health care workers by the governors of New York and New Jersey after Spencer was diagnosed.

In an interview Tuesday with MSNBC, White House Ebola czar Ron Klain said such policies would prevent badly needed medical personnel from traveling to combat the disease at its source.

“We are concerned where you have quarantines that are not based medical science it does tend to discourage health care workers from going and fighting this disease in West Africa,” Klain said.