The gesture, which was done in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, officials said, marked a significant milestone in health and education advancement in the country.
This development, they went on, is the first of its kind since the inception of the UTG, hence the donation highlights the government's dedication to enhancing health services and ensuring the welfare of students, staff, and surrounding communities.
The presentation ceremony which was held at the UTG Faraba Banta Campus, brought together cabinet ministers, the Vice Chancellor of UTG, senior management of the UTG and members of the UTG students’ union executive among others.
This initiative, they further said, would go a long way in strengthening health care services within the UTG Faraba Banta Campus and the surrounding communities.
Speaking at the occasion, Prof. Herbert Robinson, Vice Chancellor of the UTG, expressed deep gratitude to the Gambia government through the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Higher Education for facilitating the donation.
He lauded the Students’ Union for managing the campus under resource-constrained situations, while emphasising the importance of health services for a growing student population, currently at 7,000 students.
The Minister for MoHERST, Prof. Pierre Gomez, described the donation as ‘historic’, recalling the long-standing challenges faced by the UTG’s medical community due to the lack of emergency transport.
Minister Gomez spoke on the health minister commitment to advancing medical education, citing the launch of postgraduate nursing programmes during their tenure as staff of the UTG.
He went further to share updates on the upcoming campus developments, such as the inauguration of Phase Two, which features modern laboratory facilities and a state-of-the-art School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences.
Dr. Ahmad Lamin Samateh, the Minister for Health commended the Students’ Union for their pivotal role in the project and urged students to remain patriotic and law-abiding while striving for excellence.
He extends similar gratitude to Prof. Gomez for his unrelenting passion for the development of the UTG, saying: “I also want to inform you that we are delivering the ambulance to the UTG as directed by President Adama Barrow.”
The ceremony concluded with remarks from the UTG Students’ Union President, Mr Nyaninka Manjang and Mr Alieu Jarju, who applauded the collaboration between the Ministry of Health, MoHERST, and the Students’ Union, emphasising the vital role of partnership in achieving such milestones.
