Dr Mustapha Bittaye, who was speaking in an exclusive interview with The Point, also revealed that when he took over he found out the hospital was highly indebted, as “it was just increasing every day”.
Dr Bittaye, who once served the country’s director of Health Services, is also familiar with operations at the hospital, an institution he once trained.
With his vast wealth of experience in health, he is working to position the country’s main referral hospital as a facility that is dignified, that people would be proud of.
"I used to work in this hospital. I was trained here as a doctor and then I worked in this hospital as a Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist for many years. Then after that, I was called upon at the Ministry of Health to serve as the Director of Health Services. So, I was there for four to five years."
This call was in June of last year, he said, adding that he inherited a pile of perennial challenges at the hospital.
"The first problem in the hospital was the issues of finance,” he explained: “The problem is that the hospital is highly indebted up till now, as it was just every day increasing. But when we came, we instituted some austerity measures, which is now allowing us to even start repaying these debts. Now we are no more getting debts every month; rather we are actually starting to pay off the debts that we have."
According to Dr Bittaye, the hospital had more than D56M in debt even though this figure is subject to verification, adding that they’ve since started paying.
"I think we paid more than D2 million or so. The other big challenge is that sometimes we were also not paying our dues to institutions like GRA, credit unions and other institutions. So, there are fiscal issues - money and other problems. "
Also, he commented on basic functions, saying staff welfare is another critical component that he has prioritised to keep the hospital delivering quality services.
"We couldn't pay our salaries for our staff on time. Even now, we cannot pay because we always have difficulty. Our salaries have to come and you have to do a lot of work before. So, another basic thing is that we are working on is our basic things for our staff like toilets and water in the hospital, those type of things were a challenge. Some basic places don't have water. So, those things have improved a lot and now all our toilets are fixed if there is a problem within 24 hours and water issues."
Another issue of concern was the basic functioning of the hospital for patients. He said they want to ensure they have all the basic services like lab test, and basic drugs for those who come to the hospital.
"We want to make sure when patients come here, they get basic lab tests, basic drugs, theatre drugs and other essentials,” he said. “So, we agreed, for example, out of more than 400 drugs and consumables, to be buying about 54 to make sure drugs are always available so that we don't stop theatre cases, especially the most important ones. We always buy those ones so that the hospital will continue to run. Now, at the main hospital, the labs are working very well, as we now have most of the tests done here."
He said they are working to see how they could extend similar services to Ndemban Clinic and Polyclinic.
"The other challenge we had is the CT scan MRI,” he noted. “Now, we have a new CT scan and we are trying to fix it. It's 128-slide CT scan. This is like top-notch CT scan in the world. It's one of the best CT scans you can have."
These massive developments, he added, are ongoing, as renovation work continues before its actually starts operation.
CMD Bittaye also commended the government, through the Ministry of Health for the ongoing renovation.
"The Government is keen on making sure that when people come to the hospital, they feel dignified. All the newly renovated wards now have ACs and fans," he stated.
He said they also ensure patients have oxygen pipes fixed to their beds, so they don't have to suffer to get it.
"Everything, we brought to them at their place,” he said. “We put sensor tabs for them to wash your hands. So, it's well done."
These measures, he added, are aimed at improving the dignity of the patients.
The EFSTH CMD also spoke highly of their expertise, which has helped to improve the quality of services at the hospital.
"We now have professionals who can do big things. We have more than 24, I think, that the World Bank has helped us with. They are here to help us in different areas," he said, adding that this group is also helping train the country’s teeming young doctors on the ground to be become professionals in their own domain.
"Before, we all had to go out to be trained in Ghana and other countries. But now, we have brought these professors and some of our experts here. We now train them here to be doctors, to be specialists that can take care of our people."
When he was first appointed in June last year, CDM Bittaye has a clear vision to register big achievement, which is to help move the country’s main referral hospital to higher height in terms of offering quality services to Gambians.
"So, we are working on our strategic plan. But we had four missions. The number one was, we have to meet the basic needs of staff. Within two years, all these basic needs of staff, like salaries should never be delayed. We should have their basic needs. Their room should be fine. We should have good toilets. Those should be met. After that, we want to meet also the basic needs of patients. No patient should come here and go out for their basic needs, like lab and small things. So, we want to make sure all the things they would need, such as basic items, are available here. Then, after two years, we work towards meeting their privileges both staff and patients. So, there are a lot of privileges that staff should benefit from. But they are not getting it now because we don't have the resources.
With a current bed capacity of 700, plans are afoot to expand it to be able to accommodate more in no distant future.
