The
Ministry of Health and the Medical Research Council (MRC) recently held a joint
forum to update the Gambia government on health status, and to discuss current
and future activities of the council.
It
was the 61st joint annual Gambia government and MRC committee meeting held at
the MRC headquarters in Fajara.
Speaking
on the occasion, Minister of Health Omar Sey said the government and the MRC
have been collaborating over the past years in medical research that is
essential.
“The
main objective for both The Gambia government and the MRC is to improve the
health of the local population,” he said.
Dr
Sey explained that the Ministry of Health implements health interventions and
provides healthcare, while the MRC generates new knowledge that can be used by
the ministry to adapt and improve health policies.
The
Ministry of Health launched the Gambia National Health Sector Strategic Plan,
2014-2020, aimed at providing adequate, effective and affordable healthcare for
all Gambians.
“Research
is extremely important for continuous improvement of healthcare and The Gambia
is primary beneficiary of the MRC research output; other countries in the
sub-Saharan Africa also benefit as results are published in medical journals
and the general press,” the health minister said.
“The
research findings are translated into national and international policies.”
MRC
Gambia Unit Director Prof. Umberto D’Alessandro said MRC has been updating the
government of The Gambia on the new scientific focus: vaccines and immunity,
nutrition and disease control, among others.
He
said several research has been done at MRC on public health interventions that
have had a major impact on childhood mortality and morbidity, not only in The
Gambia but in Sub-Saharan African as a whole.