The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a $30-million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) to improve the quality and utilization of essential health services in The Gambia.
A statement on Saturday said that the Essential Health Services Strengthening Project will provide performance-based financing grants to health facilities, scale up community engagement to improve utilization of quality health services and build resilient and sustainable health systems to support the delivery of quality health services.
This will include the renovation of selected health facilities and the establishment of a national blood transfusion service.
The project will build on the success of the Maternal and Child Nutrition and Health Results project and the ongoing “COVID-19 Preparedness and Response” project to improve access and use of primary health care services for all in The Gambia, said Feyifolu Boroffice, World Bank Resident Representative to The Gambia.
In the long term, it is expected that the project will help reduce maternal and child mortality, therefore contributing to improve The Gambia’s Human Capital Index.
