IDB, Turkish Agency officials visit UTG School of Medicine

The visit to the medical school was part of a five-day official mission of the international institutions to The Gambia as part of efforts at strengthening bilateral cooperation.

The visiting officials, led by Ahmed Faruk Diken, senior technical cooperation specialist, capacity development department of IDB, held a meeting with senior staff of the university at the medical school, located at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul.

Speaking on the occasion, the acting vice chancellor of UTG, Jenung Manneh, said the university administration is seeking to transform the school of medicine to take it to higher heights.

He said the university administration wishes to expand the medical school in the areas of internal medicament, community medicine, psychiatry and pharmacology.

Mr Manneh said the school needs multidisciplinary laboratory fully furnished with the needed science equipment.

He added that Department of Nursing and Reproductive Health of the medical school has shortage of staff, inadequate space, and lack of transport in some areas.

In that regard, the university would like to deepen cooperation with partners like IDB and TIKA in its endeavour to further developing the medical school.

Mr Manneh said through the sustained support of partners like IDB, many of the identified skills gaps of the UTG are being solved through local and external trainings.

He said the enhanced skills, competences and capacities have significantly improved the proficiency of the medical staff in the performance of their various duties.

The UTG acting VC said the university has successfully executed a host of internal research assignments through its constituent facilities.

The leader of the IDB and TIKA delegation, Ahmed Faruk Diken, said:“We understand that there are so many constraints and challenges the school is facing but through the help of our experts, we will be able to do our best.”

He said as part of the IDB’s international cooperation on health and other related issues, they are “currently working tirelessly” with the staff of the UTG to figure out all the necessary areas which need the staff motivation or training.

Before the end of the five-day mission to The Gambia, Mr Faruk said they would be able to know where to intervene to help the UTG medical school.