German Embassy donates medical items worth over GMD 11.5m to MoH

The donated items include 34 ventilators with additional medical accessories and 18 hospital beds.

According to officials, the 34 ventilators are donations, gathered by Project Aid The Gambia from two medical supplier companies in Germany.

The 18 hospital beds are a donation from the University Clinic in Essen Germany.

Officials said the ventilators will be used for the treatment for the increasing number of seriously ill covid-19 patients.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Janine Hoelscher, Political Attache of the German Embassy in The Gambia, said the German Embassy gladly support this very timely project as one of their micro projects. 

"The ventilators and the equipment are much needed amid the rise of covid -19 cases in The Gambia. Project Aid the Gambia has been a trusted partner in The Gambia for many years".

Madam Hoelscher further explained that with the micro project scheme, the German Embassy supports NGO initiatives that are aimed at improving basic needs of the poor and most vulnerable groups of the population.

"We are aware of social responsibility and as a family business and we gladly donate life support devices to Project Aid The Gambia. Ventilation is one of our core competencies and we hope to make a contribution to improve the situation on site".

Heiko Hannemann, managing director of Boergel Company Germany, expressed his frustration with the current development of the corona pandemic sweeping across the globe.

"We hope to be able to make a good contribution to coping with the use of the ventilators we have provided," he added.

Musa Sain, Senior Logistics Officer at the Ministry of Health, hailed the German Embassy and Project Aid for their timely intervention, which he described as laudable and timely.

Sain assured the donors that the items donated to MoH would be put into good use as well as help in the fight against covid -19 in the country.

Charles Mbye, chairman of Project Aid The Gambia stated; "Our delivery of ventilators will significantly improve the equipment of the Gambian health system".

Chairman Mbye said the number of Covid -19 infection in the Gambia is alarming.

"According to WHO health experts a possibly uncontrollable outbreak of the Covid -19 pandemic in Africa in the months to come is feared".

He expressed their resolve to use the remaining time to help improve the dilapidated health system in the country. 

He informed that through a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Health and the regional health directorates of CRR and NBR, Project Aid The Gambia recently donated an amount of 23,000 re-usable mouth-nose masks to 50 governmental health facilities in NBR and CRR region as well as Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul.

The face mask, he informed, were locally made in The Gambia in the last few months.

"The production was funded by the German partner organizations of Project Aid The Gambia, which had successfully run a fundraiser in Germany. Up to date Project Aid The Gambia had produced more than 35,000 face masks some of which were sold to different NGO and companies at cost price".