In a statement shared with The Point, Mballing Cham said: “Baba Jah’s statement was not only malicious and dangerous but also disrespectful to dead women, their families and loved ones.”
According to the movement, recently Baba Jah told Fatu Network TV that his investigation has shown that women died at private hospitals during labour instead of public health facilities.
However, she said Women Lives Matters documents have shown that the majority of Gambian women who died during or right after labour died in public hospitals and health centres including the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) and the Brikama District Hospital.”
“Baba Jah’s statement was insensitive to the plight of Gambian women who bear the brunt of the failed healthcare system,” she argued in the statement.
“His false statement is also an attack on the fight of women to protect the lives of women and their babies,” the he said in a statement.
“We are in possession of the official death certificate of all the women who died in the country during labour over the past one year. And we wish to stress once again that the majority of them died in government hospitals and health centres,” she said.
On behalf of Gambia Women Lives Matters, Ms called on Mr. Jah to publicly withdraw his statement and apologize to the families and loved ones of women who died during labour.
Meanwhile, the movement has assured its members, volunteers and Gambian women that no falsehood against the right of women to safe labour and delivery will deter them from fighting for those rights.
“Our commitment and determination to make every Gambian woman's life count remain strong,” she said.
