The
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Tuesday received medical equipment from
Forder Verein Humanitas (FVH), New Covenant Church, and the Association for the
Help of Children and Needy, amounting to more than D2,259,000.
The first to present their materials was FVH, a charitable organisation founded in Switzerland.
The Swiss organization, which mainly supports health, education and agriculture,presented medical equipment consisting of surgical lights, mobile x-ray machines, dialysis machines, respiratory and anesthesia accessories, video monitors, mobile breathing gas supply units, among others worth more than D500,000.
Also, New Covenant Church (Fajara), through Professor Wale Adekunle, special adviser on agriculture to the Office of the President, donated medical items worth US$8,000 (about D384,000) to the Ministry of Health.
In addition, the Association for the Help of Children and Needy also donated a scanning machine, mattresses, secondhand clothes and other materials worth 25,000 Euros (about D1,375,000).
Receiving the materials, Health Minister Omar Sey thanked the organisations for the “magnificent donations”, saying The Gambia government alone cannot do it all.
“The gestures are in line with the National Donation Policy,” he said.“It is nice to receive donations but at times some donations are useless but all these donations are in line with the policy and are accepted.”
He said the donated materials are needed, for they are lifesaving equipment.
Shortly before presenting their materials to the minister of health, Binta Jobe, FVH country manager, said the equipment were donated to FVH by a prominent European hospital chain called AMEOS.
She said the final beneficiaries of the donated medical equipment are Pakaliba Rossi Clinic, Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, Jammeh Foundation for Peace, Gambia Armed Forces and other public medical facilities.
On behalf of the president of FVH and Swiss Board of Directors, Ms Jobe expressed gratitude to The Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh, for creating “an enabling and conducive environment” for organisations like FVH to operate and contribute to the social economic development of The Gambia.
The Swiss organisation also presented certificates of appreciation to President Jammeh and the Health Minister Omar Sey for their outstanding services in improving the health and wellbeing of Gambians and non-Gambians in The Gambia.
The FVH has several ongoing projects in The Gambia such as Pakaliba Rossi Clinic and Farming Project, Immaculate Heart of Mary Nursery and Primary School located in Ghana Town, FVH Education Center in Tanji village and others.
The organisation had invested more than D30 million in health, education and agriculture sectors of The Gambia to complement the efforts of the Gambia government.
