It is a clear statement of intent: that access to essential medicines is central to government's promise of bringing health services to the doorstep of all Gambians.
We commend that intent. No health system can function without drugs. Doctors cannot treat, nurses cannot care, and patients cannot recover if the shelves are empty.
However, as every Gambian who has visited a public facility knows, procurement has never been our only problem. Management of that procurement has been.
Clinical pharmacist Njundu Jatta assured that before the end of the year, most facilities will be supplied. That assurance must be held to account.
We procure big, but patients still buy small from private pharmacies.
If this $700 million is to be different, government must shift from announcement to accountability.
First, distribution must be ruthless and equitable. The system of seven regional medical stores distributing to facilities is good, but it must be efficient, corruption-free, and fast. The new approach of pushing drugs immediately instead of waiting for quarterly distribution must be institutionalized.
Second, storage and monitoring must improve. Too many times, drugs worth millions have expired in stores while clinics cry for the same drugs. A digital inventory system that tracks every box from port to patient is no longer a luxury — it is a necessity.
Third, value for money must be proven. US$700 million is huge for The Gambia. Citizens have a right to know what was bought, at what price, from whom, and under what quality checks. Especially as we diversify from India to Europe, quality assurance must be paramount.
Finally, this investment must be linked to the broader health reforms — strengthening residency training, building the new hospitals expected in 2027, and supporting initiatives like the Kaur Medical Outreach that are filling critical gaps.
Medicines alone do not make a health system, but a health system cannot exist without medicines.
Government has invested. Now it must deliver — not to warehouses, but to people.