Speaking on the occasion, Dr Adama Sallah, the Registrar Gambia Medical and Dental Council, said the team comprised the 6th cohort of the school.
He said they have worked hard for over six years, and have qualified to be called doctors of medicine.
He urged them to always consider the plight of their patients, and not to be taken by the monetary aspect of their work.
He said the health-care system worldwide is faced with new challenges that call for new responses.
“One strategy to stimulate reform in the health care system is to reform the health workforce,” he said.
Dr Sallah added that a comprehensive plan to reorient the health workforce is at the core of any successful reform in health, as it implies defining new roles for health care workers, as well as planning new health care settings.
He noted that doctors best suited for our evolving society should have managerial skills, be able to communicate well, be a decision maker, a community leader and to be a care provider as well. “The medical profession is a noble one,” Dr Sallah declared.
He told his audience that the event was held at a time when the health sector is rethinking its policies and strategies for consolidating the health of the nation.
The senior medical professional spoke extensively on the issue of medical brain-drain, which he said is a major concern for governments and people in Africa.
“As the determinants of health care keep on changing all over the world, including The Gambia, we will have to do some drastic adjustments to meet our health care needs and bill,” he said.
In her keynote address, Fatim Badjie, minister of Health and Social Welfare, said the day marked yet another milestone in the country’s health care delivery.
While congratulating the newly-inducted doctors, Minister Badjie asked them to remain committed to serving all Gambians, including in the rural areas.
She hailed the support of the governments and peoples of Taiwan and Cuba to the country’s health sector.
The minister also acknowledged the efforts of all those who contributed to the success of the new doctors.
Professor Muhamadou Kah, vice chancellor of University of The Gambia, told the new doctors that the UTG did not expect anything less from them, likewise the Gambian people.
According to him, since the establishment of the school in 1999, it has so far graduated 87 doctors.
He said that the doctors are as qualified as any other doctors, as they were examined by experienced external examiners who do not compromise standards.
He said that UTG is the pride of the nation, while praising President Yahya Jammeh for his foresight in establishing the country’s higher institution of learning.
Prof. Ousman Nyan, the provost, School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, said that since the commencement of the programme, they have been enjoying the support of President Jammeh, the Health and Higher Education ministries, among others.
He also hailed the efforts of the partners and collaborators such as WHO, MRC, Cuban, Ghanaian, Nigerian and Senegalese doctors.
Dr Anna Njie, one of the new doctors, thanked their parents, lecturers and all those who contributed to their success.
