Reading the report Fatoumata Touma Njie, Chairperson of the Committee and member for Banjul South Constituency, stated that Dr Vivian, head of the Paediatrics Ward expressed her concerns on the operation of the Ward.
“The Ward is operating with only one phototherapy which 3 to 4 babies are sharing, that they borrow phototherapy from Kanifing Hospital,” she stated.
“There is no bubble breather in the Ward. The Radial Warmer which is very important for warming babies is insufficient as the ward is operating with only six (6). Parents normally give birth at the other side of the Hospital which is at the far side, and babies easily get cold before reaching at the Paediatrics Ward and they normally die. This is because of the baby’s size which makes them lose their temperature before reaching the Ward.”
The report findings also outlined that there is no proper waiting room at the Paediatrics ward.
“Children and Adult share the same social workers. The space of the treating room is very small with five (5) beds packed together. The infrastructures are old and need renovation. There is one functioning toilet for both patients and the staff at the Emergency,” according to the report read by Dr Vivian.
The CMD of the hospital also informed the Committee that some Gambians in Spain were interested in donating ten incubators and ten items of phototherapy but there had been no headway to that.
Hon Njie reported that the CMD told them he had the intention to buy but he had been told that the hospital would be receiving donation from partners, “but this never happened and it is now a challenge to the hospital”.
The report stated that the committee were told the subvention the hospital received from the Ministry of Health was D27 million for salaries but sometimes they would receive D24 million and the OC was 2.6 million, but they would receive D1.8million for the last three months, he said.
He said the mortality rate was very low, emphasizing: “There is a challenge at the Paediatrics Unit. One big challenge is the late referral of patients from other hospitals to EFSTH which causes more deaths at the Hospital.”
Further, the report revealed that pregnant women with 29 weeks condition were admitted at the ward as well as cancer patients at different stages.
“They also have Gender Based Violence One Stop Centre at the Ward that handles the counselling and works closely with the police and Ministry of Justice if there is a need of prosecution,” the report pointed out.
“Their primary responsibility is looking after women relating to their reproduction, pregnancies, deceases that occur during pregnancies, deliveries, and complications. They are operating with 28 beds which are not enough. There are five teams of doctors that take their turns to look.”
The committee thus recommended capacity building and need for investment in the Paediatrics Ward for it to become standard.
The recommendations also included training midwives to handle babies who don't cry at birth, renovation of the Paediatrics Ward, provision of a new theatre for the ward, improving the toilet facilities for both patients and staff of the ward, provision of more incubators and phototherapy.
“The Hospital should be provided with specialists such as nutritionists,” the committee recommended.
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