The donated items include surgical dressing kits, Ambu bags, surgical masks and other medical items. The beneficiary said the donated materials were among the top medical items needed by the hospital. According to them, the items will go a long way towards helping achieve their desire in providing the quality health service delivery they intended for their patients.
IHTG's primary objectives is to provide essential medical supplies to public hospitals in The Gambia, provide quality healthcare improvements, consultations, and facilitate training for mental health and addiction services among others.
At a presentation ceremony held at the hospital ground, Abdul Wahab Manjang, a Gambian- based in the US, who doubles as the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IHTG, underscored the importance of quality health service delivery in the development of any country.
“It has always been my dreams to support Gambians in any way I can do especially in the area of health services.”
“We all know the lack of resources we have in the country especially in the health sector. Sometimes, it’s even challenging for health providers to provide the much needed services for their patients. It’s not only the responsibility of the government to be providing quality health services delivery for Gambians. However, as citizens, it should also be a priority and responsibility to us all to be helping the government in their quest to make differences in the lives of ordinary Gambians visiting our hospitals across the country.”
“I was once a child and someone was part of the service delivery that I receive in the country’s hospitals. That impacted on my lives, thus giving back to my community especially the country where you are from is paramount. Donating them these materials is something that’s so special to me and all the donors in the U.S.A,” he stated.
“We want to make a difference in the health care delivery system in The Gambia. This can’t be done by one person.”
Njaga Sarr, Hospital administrator, thanked the US charity for the benevolent gesture, further affirming that health should be everybody's business as the government alone can’t do it.
“We want to urge other Gambians living in the Diaspora to emulate IHTG and always consider supporting the country’s development initiatives especially in the area of health. The donated items will go a long way in addressing some of our concerns. We are very happy to have a Gambian like you who is ready to complement the government's efforts in nation building. We are also hoping to receive more of this kind of donation and we are ready to partner with your organisation.”
Haita Ndimbalan, the Principal Nursing Officer of the hospital, spoke at length on the significance of the donated items, noting that the donated items would go a long way in helping to improve the health conditions of patients at the hospital.
“The donated items come at the right time and they are very vital and expensive. If we were to buy such items, it might be very expensive for the hospital management. In fact, sometimes, they are not available in the country. We want to thank the donor for his gesture and assure him that the items will be put into good use.”
“The hospital sees a huge number of patients on a daily basis. The catchment area is very big. We not only saw patients within Bundung but also other communities like Nema, Wellingara, Latrikunda and even Brikama among a host of other communities. It is very challenging sometimes because every medicine that we buy or have been supplied by the government is consumed in a short period. Health is very expensive, but again Gambia has the cheapest health care system within the sub-region.” he stated.
