The
Rotary Club of Fajara in partnership with the Rotary Club of Royden Revolve in
the UK, last Friday donated medical items worth about £15,000 (equivalent to
nearly D900,000) to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) in
Banjul.
The
items donated included BM machines 2, thermometer, maternity unit curtains,
medicine creams, pads, hands towels, Urology, Diabetic kits, scales sterilized
BP machine curtains, catheter, blankets and baby clothes, among other
materials.
Speaking
at the presentation ceremony held at the hospital conference room, Momodou
Lamin Jammeh, public relations officer of EFSTH, expressed his appreciation
about the donated items.
He
said the event was yet another milestone in the history of the hospital in
receiving a magnificent gesture from the two Rotarian partners.
The
Rotary Club of Fajara has been a long-term partner of the hospital, and has
been giving support towards the welfare of users of the hospital.
Mr
Jammeh acknowledged the efforts of the Rotary Club of Fajara through their vice
president, Minyan Jobe, for their concern and constant support rendered to the
hospital.
He
emphasised that the Rotary Club of Fajara would always support the hospital
based on the request and needs of the hospital.
According
to PRO Jammeh, the items donated were requested for by the management of the
hospital, for the Rotary Club of Fajara to help them.
The
request took less than two months when the Rotary Club of Fajara responded
positively, leading to the presentation
of the items to the EFSTH, he added.
In
receiving the items, the Chief Medical Director of EFSTH, Professor M. I.
Khalilu, thanked the Rotary Club of Fajara and its partner for the benevolent
gesture, geared towards helping in achieving effective health service delivery
in the country.
He
said the donated items were highly needed at the hospital, and would go a long
way in addressing some of their major concerns at the hospital.
He
also thanked the Rotary Club of Fajara for putting smiles on the faces of their
patients, adding that the items were a big relief for them at the hospital.
Also
speaking was the president of the Rotary Club of Fajara, Adam Wadda, who spoke
about the importance of the drugs and the support that the Rotary Club of
Fajara had been rendering to the hospital.
She
said the donation of medical items was not a new thing because, at least every
three months, the Rotary Club of Fajara in partnership with its international
partners would bring a donation of medical items to support the EFSTH.
She
stated that it is part of the mandate of the Rotary Club of Fajara to donate
medical items to the hospital, while assuring the management of the EFSTH of
her club’s continued support towards effective health service delivery in the
country.
Also
speaking at the ceremony was the vice president of Rotary Club of Fajara,
Minyan Jobe, who returned gratitude to the management of the EFSTH for their
“positive” approach and commended them for the efforts of the Rotary Club of
Fajara.
According
to Mr Jobe, the donation came as a result of a combination of efforts by
members of the Rotary Club of Fajara.
He
noted that the Gambia government could not do it all, hence the Rotary Club of
Fajara in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Royden Revolve in the UK,
deemed it fitting to intervene and complement the efforts of the government.
He
noted that since the inception of the Rotary Club of Fajara, they had been
supporting the EFSTH at least a minimum of three times in the year.
“We
will bring items that are needed and requested for by the management of the
hospital. The drugs are very expensive”, he added, and appealed for them to be
used judiciously by the hospital.
