Japanese
Ambassador to Senegal, H.E. HEM OMORI Shigeru, recently handed over a Mobile
Hospital with two ambulances to the Senegalese Armed Forces.
The
well-resourced mobile hospital, which has all essential hospital facilities
including surgery, lab, dental clinic, 30 beds, and effective drugs, is not too common in Africa.
Speaking
on the occasion, held at one of the army camps in Dakar, Ambassador Shigeru
said it was great honour for him through his government to lend a helping hand
to the Senegalese armed forces.
“It
is great honor for me to participate in the handing over ceremony of the mobile
hospital with up-to-date medical equipment and the two ambulances to the Armed
Forces of the Republic of Senegal,” said Ambassador Shigeru. The project is
financed by Japan to the tune of 566 million FCFA.
“This
project will improve the quality of the healthcare delivery service to the
population who have difficulty in accessing health service,” the ambassador
said.
“This
project shows the determination and commitment of the Japanese government to
Universal Health Coverage, to better the condition of life in Senegal,” he
said.
Essentially,
last year, the government s of Japan and Senegal signed a cooperation agreement
on Universal Health Coverage programme, the ambassador recalled.
“I
wish this project helps to develop the health policy and reinforces the
friendship between Senegal and Japan,” he concluded.
The
Senegalese Minister of Defence, Augustin Tine, in his remarks at the programme,
said: “The Japanese people have always
shown great solidarity with the Senegalese people through dynamic, effective
and highly appreciated cooperation in various fields such as education,
fisheries, health, to name but a few.”
He
added: “This gratuitous transfer of a mobile field hospital to the Army Health
Directorate is timely, especially given that we are facing a context of
increasing and diversifying the threats of all with the consequent increase in
demand for medical and surgical care across the country and in the sub region.
“This
high-quality, 30-bed mobile care tool with modules for surgery,
anesthesia-resuscitation, radiology, dental surgery and two medical ambulances,
for a total cost of six hundred and fifty-five Nine hundred and fifty-seven
thousand CFA francs (655,957,000) will enable the Army Health Service to better
cope with all situations of mass influx of the wounded.”
The
Armed Forces Command and its partners have made considerable efforts to make
major progress in the Army Health Service, particularly in the area of
infrastructure and equipment, he said.
“This
new acquisition, which is not the least, will help to reinforce the rapid
intervention capabilities of the Army Health Service.”
He
said further that the Mobile Hospital is an important link in the relief chain
for the wounded in operation or disaster, allowing the temporary admission of
many victims before their evacuation to the hospitals.”
“At
this juncture,” he said, “I would like to acknowledge the important role played
by Mr Bassirou GAYE, General Manager of MPGS ARPAS Logistics, in the
realization of this project.”
“Thanks
to his patriotism and commitment, this mobile medical unit could be financed by
Japan,” he, said, adding. “He was thus at the beginning and at the end of the
process, hence the Army will be very grateful to him and extend their
gratitude.”
