Beneficiaries included Bundung Maternal Hospital, Fajikunda Health Centre, Serekunda Health Centre, Kanifing General Hospital and Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), School of Nursing and Tanka Tanka Psychiatric Hospital.
The items included vital sign devices, Personal Protective Equipment(PPEs), diabetic kits, reusable sanitary pads among others.
Receiving boxes of gloves which werepart of items donated to Kanifing General Hospital, Baboucar Saine, administrator of the Hospital thanked donors for the gesture, saying: “the valuable items are very important to the hospital.”
He added that they use PPEs when providing services to patients to prevent cross contamination which can be transmitted by either the patient or service provider.
He described the gesture as very timely taking into consideration the Covid-19 and other diseases. He stated that they spend between D300,000 and D500,000 a month on hand gloves. “This is going to save us cost and ensure the money is used to procure other valuable items,” he further said.
The hospital administrator assured donors that the items will be put into good use. He said Kanifing General Hospital is one of the country’s biggest and busiest hospitals. On statistics at maternity, every day on average basis, “25 babies are delivered here in our maternity ward. And on average we conduct not less than three to four cesarean sections. Thus, you cannot deliver a baby with bare hands without wearing the gloves.”
Mr Saine therefore enjoined other Gambians both in the country and Diaspora to come together in assisting public health facilities in the country to change the narrative and move the country forward.
Jerome Freeman, founder of Freeman Health Care Foundation (FHCF) based in Massachusetts, USA disclosed that the donation was made possible by family and friends.
He said that it is his intention that the foundation and partner to make the donation annually or quarterly.
He disclosed that hisaim is to not just donate medical supply and consumables but to also volunteer at some public health facilities and exchange ideas with healthcare staffs and patients.
He highlighted that the goal of the donation is to make patients and healthcare staffs safer and healthier.
Mr Freeman disclosed that they distributed over 24,000 hand gloves to some public health facilities while the pending vital sign devices and PPEs, diabetic kit supplies, reusable sanitary pads, cardiovascular practice model for nursing students, digestive practice model practice for nursing students among other medical items will be distributed immediately they arrive first week of January 2022.
Kebbah Sanneh, Public Relation Officer at EFSTH expressed appreciation on behalf of the hospital when he took the donors on a brief conducted tour of the hospital.
Phebian Ina Grant-Sagnia, founder of CRAWAH also commended the effort of FHCF and assured beneficiaries of getting the pending items.
