The
Medical Research Council Gambia unit (MRCG) on Wednesday held an Open Day in
commemoration of its 70th anniversary, 1947-2017.
The
event was held at MRC field station in Basse, Upper River Region (URR), and was
attended by the regional authorities and a cross-section of the society.
The
Open Day was meant to showcase MRCG’s scientific achievements and to give
members of the public the opportunity to interact with staff and learn more
about MRC.
Head
of Operations at MRC Basse, Pa Cheboh Saine, said the day was “a unique
opportunity” to meet, explain and showcase some of the works of MRC.
He
said MRC is a research institution with primary objective of leading health
research in West Africa to save lives and improve health across the world.
He
said the MRC Basse field station was established in 1982 and has since been
expanded both in size and scope of activities.
“A
lot of ground-breaking research has been conducted here,” he said, adding that
the field station currently has some 280 staff and is hosting seven large
project and trials, including the Basse Health and Demographic Surveillance
System (BHDSS).
Mr
Saine said the infrastructure and facilities at MRC Basse field station have
been expanded and upgraded to make the station more hospitable to staff and
staff families.
Ebrima
Baldeh, principal nursing officer at Basse Major Health Centre, said MRC Gambia
has been known for excellence in healthcare service delivery, research,
surveillance, clinical and field trials.
He
said MRCG has led many successful achievements for the institution, partners and
the country as a whole.
He
explained that MRCG and the Gambia Ministry of Health are “inextricably linked”
in terms of partnering and collaborating for the development of the health
sector.
The
deputy Governor of URR, Cherno Barra Touray, expressed gratitude to MRCG for
choosing his region to celebrate its 70th anniversary.