The gesture, came on the heels of a similar donation in July this year. The items are courtesy of ChildFund in partnership with MAP International, a U.S based humanitarian organisation.
The organisation also presented lab coats and face shields to the health ministry as the fight against covid-19 continues.
At the handing over, Musu Kuta Komma-Bah, Country Director of ChildFund-The Gambia, acknowledged that the past months have seen a remarkable improvement in terms of working relations with the Ministry of Health, saying the development will no doubt boost their collective drive to making sure the country’s health sector is well stocked to deliver accessible and quality health care delivery.
She highlighted that amid Covid-19 pandemic, the health systems of even the most advanced countries have been challenged both in terms of human and material resources, saying for that reason they believe in spite of not being the first of its kind, the pharmaceuticals and medical supplies would help in addressing some of the existing challenges the health ministry faces.
Since the start of Covid-19 response efforts in The Gambia, she maintained that they have been at the front in the fight against the pandemic.
“As early as April we helped reproduce 1500 posters developed by the Ministry in conjunction with other partners”.
In addition, she disclosed that they have also provided communities with hundreds of hand washing stations, sanitary materials and detergents to over 50 schools and communities in the West Coast Region and an additional 30 other settlements across the Lower River, Central River and North Bank regions.
This, she explained, coupled with the 3000 face masks they rolled out to children, their families and schools, are all geared towards complementing government’s efforts in the containment of Covid-19 in the country.
Further, she revealed that almost 3758 families have benefitted from their cash transfer programmes channeled through community-based credit unions at the level of their three local partners and parts of the LRR.
“As I speak, we have already disbursed over D5.6M to these families, and we are committed to continue”, she revealed.
Babanding Sabally, Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Ministry of Health, described their partnership with Childfund, as one of the best he has witnessed in his tenure at the Ministry.
“It’s a partnership where Childfund will invite us and ask what we need or want for people of The Gambia”.
He hailed ChildFund for always ensuring that the items come in good condition, adding that the partnership has benefited thousands of Gambians and non-Gambians in the country.
These materials, he added, will ensure Gambians receive quality health services at our health facilities, acknowledging that those are materials highly needed in their covid-19 response efforts.
Karamba Keita, deputy permanent secretary Technical at the Ministry of Health, thanked ChildFund for having The Gambia and Gambian people at heart.
The government, he said, cannot do it all alone and thus thanked ChildFund for complementing government’s efforts in providing quality health care to her people.
