Medical Research Council on Thursday commenced a three-day training for doctors and nurses at the MRC Fajara’s Clinical Department.
Speaking at the opening, Dr Omar Sey, minister of health, said The Gambia has a conducive environment as well as the expertise to provide good service in the medical field, adding that the training was a necessary factor to the development of the participants.
The participants, he also stated, are to effectively and diligently implement what they have learnt or gained from the training, as Gambia Government through the Ministry of Health gave priority to the training.
“There are lots of people with stomach problems; so this training will enhance adequate and proper diagnosis and early intervention,” he said.
For her part, Dr Ramou Njie, Gastroenterologist at MRC, said it is the first-ever gastroenterology training in West Africa and they are very happy to be involved in it because digestive diseases are very common and the lack of facilities is a problem because people have to travel to Dakar or the UK to get treated.
Having this training will help the Gambian people by making sure they provide timely diagnosis and treatment which will have a huge impact on the health of the Gambian people, she said.
She added that most importantly it will allow them to train Gambian doctors through these procedures.
She said they have forged partnership with the world gastric organizations, the Ministry of Health and MRC and together the effects would have a big impact on the health of the Gambian people.
She said the training involved the majority of the Gambian doctors who are graduates of the UTG. “The emphasis is, having the skills here in the Gambia for Gambian Doctors,” she disclosed.
Dr Njie said the partnership between them and the Government is important because she did not think any single agency can tackle health hazards of the society so the Ministry of Health, together with world gastric organization and MRC, has to tackle this problem as it is the only way they can move forward.
