Health
is indispensable in any national development endeavour. And nation building
efforts cannot be successful if adequate attention is not paid to the
population’s health.
In
our Monday’s edition we ran a story about a donation of ambulances made by the Ministry
of Health to communities in the Upper Niumi, North Bank Region. The move was
timely and important looking at the condition of primary health in the Gambia.
The
donation was made during the Health minister’s visits to five dilapidated
health posts in North Bank Region (NBR) and Central River Region (CRR) so as to
fulfill President Adama Barrow’s pledge during his Meet the People’s Tour.
It
is important to underscore the importance of emergency care in any
health-related work. These ambulances donated would greatly help strengthen
mobility fleet in these health posts in the Nuimis.
However,
there is need to upgrade most of this health posts in rural Gambia with
up-to-date scientific labs and electricity facilities to make the work of
doctors, nurses and surgeons more convenient.
Healthcare
is wealth and this make healthcare an expensive sector in any country. Most of
the equipment used in most of the country’s health sector are imported couple
with the scarce resources allocated to the health sector.
While
government is doing all it can to ensure and enhance the living status of
Gambians, there is need to forge partnership with international organisations
to boost the country’s health sector.
Strengthening
the country’s referral system is very crucial. And it’s vital to note whether
in a minor health center or health post where people’s conditions cannot be
managed need to be transferred immediately. This makes these ambulances more
important to the work of health.
We
are all aware that most of this health posts serve a number of catchment areas.
Sometimes timely referrals are important in ensuring quality and convenient
output especially when it involves critical cases. Most often, pregnant women
in rural Gambia complaint of timely referral especially when they are in
labour. It is important to emphasise
that inasmuch as health is expensive no woman should die giving birth.
The
issue of under staffing and shortage of drugs is often echoed by locals
especially in rural Gambia. Therefore, we call on the Ministry of Health to
work on that area and ensure that our health posts are supplied with enough
drugs and staff to be able to do their work accordingly.
Without drugs and mobility it would be
difficult to function as a health centre that should responds to the needs of
the community.
“To
keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to
keep our mind strong and clear.”
Buddha
