President
Adama Barrow on Monday laid the foundation stone of a clinic worth US$27
million in Senegambia, opposite Djembe Beach Hotel, Kololi.
The
clinic is an initiative of Professor James Ndow, a renowned Gambian surgeon,
and it is being bankrolled by the African Development Bank, and Islamic Bank,
among others.
Speaking
on the occasion, President Barrow said when completed, the clinic would improve
the healthcare delivery of the country and it would usher in great benefit to
the people of The Gambia both in services and employment opportunities.
He
said the initiative is part of the government’s private sector partnership
policy to “radically improve the quality of health services, facilities and
structures for patients as well as staff, both in the immediate future and
years to come”.
The
Gambian leader said formulating and creating the right policies and the
enabling environment for private sector engagement is critical in transforming
the country’s health system given the fact that the sector is grossly
underfunded and greatly challenged by lack of investment.
He
noted that once Horizons Clinic is completed, there would be no cause to travel
overseas from The Gambia for medical treatments.
Prof.
James Ndow, founder of Horizons, said the clinic is the first one purposely
built in the Tourism Development Area to serve not only Gambians but tourists.
Hamat
Bah, the minister of tourism, said the importance of such international
standard clinic in the tourism area cannot be over-emphasised.
“The
project will undoubtedly provide much needed jobs to hundreds of Gambians,” he
said.
