By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
An impeccable source closed to the Ministry of Health of The Gambia has revealed the bias treatment of public health officers in favor of doctors to occupy top positions at the Ministry.
According to the source the bias treatment meted against some of the health officers was introduced by the current Minister of Health Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh.
The source accused the Minister of Health of favoring some doctors working at various hospitals across the country in forms of giving them promotions and allowances, revealing that at least six senior public health officers have been victimised by the Minister for reasons best known to him. Adding, these senior public health officers have been either redeployed or transferred to lower level ranks and positions within the Ministry of Health.
The source made references to the cases of Dr. Musa Sowe, Dr. Dawda Sowe, Mr. Gibriel Jarju and Mr. Bolong Jobarteh as examples and victims of Dr. Samateh, disclosing that this crop of seasoned public health officials were redeployed, transferred or demoted to low positions within the Ministry.
According to him, many other doctors were redeployed from hospitals and transferred to hold key positions within the Ministry and this transfers of doctors to the Ministry is widening the gaps on the already inadequacy doctors at the hospitals.
The source revealed that Dr. Anna Jammeh has been transferred from Hospital to Epidemiology and Disease Control Unit, Dr. Fatoumatta Dibba from hospital to Programme Manager, Quality Control Unit, Dr. Musa Marena from EFSTH as a specialist gynecologist to Programme Manager, Reproductive and Child Health Unit, Dr Badjan from EFSTH to Programme Manager, National Tuberculosis Control Programme, Dr. Mustapha Bittaye from EFSTH as a specialist gynecologist to Director of Health Services and Dr. Momodou T. Nyassi from Bundung Hospital to Deputy Director of Health Services.
The source said among the doctors promoted to handle various key positions, Dr. Mustapha Bittaye, Director of Health Services has benefited more than anyone else, disclosing that he (Dr Bittaye) is placed on fixed salary according to 2021 budget estimates meaning he is paid more than all the Directors and Deputy Permanent Secretaries working at the Ministry of Health.
According to this source, since Dr. Samateh assumed office as Minister of Health, Public Health Officers have never breathed fresh air, disclosing that Samateh’s first task was to wage a war against Senior Officials of the Ministry either through transfers or redeployment meant to frustrate them to leave on their own.
The situation, according to the source, has created a lot of accrimonious and hatred within the Ministry of Health between public health officers and doctors working at the hospitals, noting that doctors are not trained to do administrative work but rather to serve at the hospitals.
Omar Sey, former Minister of Health argued that the promotion of Doctors to handle key departments within the Ministry of Health is not a major issue. He said if such is to happen the capacities of these doctors must be improved to be able to administer the health sector.
“Hospital administration and health services management is a specialty of its own and just having doctors to take over will derail their careers and delay their progress. Besides we didn’t have enough doctors and many doctors neither understand nor experience the country health care delivery”, Omar Sey observed.
He added: “Gambia can do best from the onset if the right plan of action implemented by the right and experienced cadre use”.
