By Ismaila Sonko
UK Jarra Association has hand over the newly refurbished and expanded labour ward of Soma Regional Hospital to the community on Saturday.
The over one million Dalasi project was funded by UK Jarra Association and FAR Ltd and renovation includes the expansion labour ward, transforming the hospital to modern standard.
The donors also injected the following equipment and items provided by UK Jarra Association namely; autoclave – very important strerilizing device, delivery beds, privacy cubicles, admission beds, oxygen concentrator, electronic suction machine, overhead lamps, overhead light use in surgery mainly, foetal stethoscopes, dopplers, delivery kits, Surgical instruments, manual suction machine , wall mounted blood pressure machines, bedside cupboards , drug, storage refrigerator, stretcher , Angle pose lamp and shadow less operating lamp.
Ansumana Kinteh, a member of the association said the materials will directly help reduce needs of the hospital and also improve service delivery and help prevent cross-infection, help monitor the condition baby during pregnancy by possible early detection of complications.
He noted that the surgical instruments, the radiant baby warmers the suction machines the blood pressure machines vacuum extractors will all indubitably contribute to the quality of care provided and help to save lives.
According to him through the project this organization managed to increase the capacity of the labour ward by 100% from three to Six beds and also created a fully equipped nurse station that enable the nurses to have their own space to adequately monitor women in labour.
Kinteh pointed out that this project is the first of many that they intended for health facilities across Jarra.
“We hope to improve the postnatal care by improving the conditions of the maternity ward and also improve access to appropriate care by providing an ambulance which will be mainly used for transporting patients from communities to the health facilities,” he said.
He also noted that newborn health and survival are closely linked to the care the mother receives before and during pregnancy, describing childbirth and the postnatal period, throughout the continuum of care and the period with the highest risk of death and disability for both mothers and newborns.
He urged the government of the Gambia to support this development initiative by making sure that the highly qualified nurses and doctors are posted to this facility because they are the success factor for a successful health care delivery system.
Kajali Fofana, National Assembly member for Jarra West, commended UK Jarra Association for their tireless and benevolent support rendered to its citizenry by providing them with basic human needs like health care, education, disaster mitigation.
He recalled that this is not the organization first support to the community , noting he witnessed the handing over of a container full of medication and medical items to Soma district hospital by the UK Jarra Association and as well as the building and full equipped of science lab at the Soma Upper Basic School.
Sutayring Drammeh, regional health director, noted that health is very dominant and important that government can’t do all to develop all the health sectors across the country and it need a partners like association and NGOs to support the efforts.
Landing B. Sanneh, chairman of Mansakonko Area Council commends the UK Jarra Association for the initiative donated to Soma district Hospital to improve the capacity of the hospital.
He urged the hospital management to make best use of the labor ward and take good care of donated items .
