He argued that “we must collectively work together to support the government in this endeavour.”
“The government alone can’t meet the health needs of the health sector. However, the support and contribution of organisations or institutions and well-meaning Gambians and even non-Gambians we would able to achieve a lot and keep our population healthy.”
Mr. Saine was speaking yesterday at the Kanifing General Hospital as Reform Club of Banjul donated materials to the hospital in their efforts to stem the spread of the pandemic.
The gesture, he added, will greatly boost the self-confidence of the staff. “One important strategy to the fight against covid-19 is cleanliness. Therefore, if the hospital environment is clean, if staff adheres to safety precautions by washing their hands, using mask and practising social distancing then we can make sure that our patients and visitors are protected from covid-19.”
According to him, the Hospital is one of the biggest hospitals within the Kanifing Municipality, hence serving huge catchment area. “We’re serving one third of the Gambian populations because currently we receive referral from 26 health facilities both in the public and private. Every year we record over two hundred thousand (200, 000) out patients visits, thus it tells you the magnitude of cases that are coming in the hospital.”
In the fight against covid-19, he went on, the hospital had been preparing earlier even before World Health Organisation (WHO) declared covid-19 as a public health emergency.“As an institution we put in places the institutional arrangements required in order to strengthen our preparedness and response to stem the virus.”
Saine commended the donors for the gesture, saying “the items donated are not only quality but these are the items that the hospital needs at the moment to make sure that the hospital is clean.”
The president of Banjul Reform Club, Abdoulie Charles Mbaye, said the donated materials are meant to complement the efforts of the hospital and the government in general in their quest to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Mr. Mbaye acknowledged that the government can’t do it alone, saying “our objective is to help them with cleaning materials so that the hospital will remain clean and its frontline personnel will be able to do their work effectively.
Malick John, the secretary of the club and Ousman Sey an executive member of the club both expressed their willingness to be part of partners supporting the hospital in the fight against covid-19.
“The items donated are of very quality and I believe it’s also timely and I hope they would go a long way in bridging some of the capacity gaps in containing the pandemic. This is a serious disease that has affected the world. Considering the spread of the pandemic, as well as its dangers and negative impacts, it is important we continue to adhere to WHO and Ministry of Health’s precaution measures,” Susan Darling Ngum a member of Banjul Reform Club said.
