By Salifu M. Touray
Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, the Minister of Health has revealed that the Upper Saloum Settlement of Njau Health will have a new Health Centre.
He said construction of the new Health Facility will commence in February and that the present health Post will also be turn into a staff quarter.
Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, make this statement on Saturday while presiding the handing over of an Ambulance to the Health facility in the settlement of Njau in upper Saloum District in the Central River Region North.
The event form part of Health Minister Samateh’s daylong tour of 6 Health facilities in North Bank Region.
His delegation includes Health Permanent Secretary Dawda Ceesay, Deputy Permanent Secretary Technical, Director of Health Services, Senior Health officials and National Assembly members for Lower, Upper Baddibou and Upper Saloum respectively.
Health Minister and delegation visited Health facilities in the upper Nuimi Settlement of Nema Kunku, Njau in Upper Saloum, Nawlerr and Daru Riwan in Upper Baddibou as well as Kerr Ardo and Kerewan in Lower Baddibou.
Minister Samateh informed the gathering that the handing over of an Ambulance to Njau Health post is part of Gambia Government’s efforts to standardise the Health Sector.
“The Community of Njau needs more than a Health post and we are in discussion we the community and hopefully very soon we will start the construction of a Health Centre in Njau as work on the project will start in February this year, “he said.
He said the Health Ministry will also provide another Ambulance that will be station at the Health Post in Njau and added that this Ambulance is part of a pilot project initiated by the Health Ministry.
“These Ambulances will be painted with a difference colour and that they will be station in Health Facilities. The role of these ambulances is to go into various communities and bring sick people to the health facilities, “he said.
“We are trying to close the gap in the referral system by distributing this Ambulance to Health Facilities including Njau considering the catchment of the area” he adds.
Alagie Mbowe the National Assembly Member for Upper Saloum Constituency commended the Government for providing an ambulance to the Health Facility in Njau.
He calls on the electorates to exercise patients saying that a system that has broken for the pass twenty years cannot be fixed in a day.
“Barrow’s Government inherited a broken system under Jammeh and under no circumstances that such situation can be fixed in a day. We all knew that is not possible. We must exercise patients and unite, “he said.
Demba Sey, the Chief of Upper Saloum also commended the Government for providing an ambulance to Njau Health Post and noted that the new development is timely and a step in the right direction.
“My person suffers a lot in term of access to health care services. But I must thank Health Minister Samateh and delegation for move taken. We really appreciates the move by Government,” he said
Sala Bah a women Leader said Upper Saloum district with 84 villages is the only district in CRR which do not have a health Centre and bemoan that women of CRR North faces serious challenges when it comes to access to Health Services.
She thanks the Health Minister and delegation for providing an ambulance to the Health Facility in Njau and acknowledges that the ambulance will ease the constraints in term of access to Health Services within the district of upper Saloum.
She also thanks the Region Health Team in Bansang and Kuntuar Health Centre for coming to their aid particularly in term of Health Emergence Cases.