The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will continue to support Gambia’s demographic health survey (DHS).
This indication was given in Banjul on Tuesday by the U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia, Carl Paschall, when he joined Gambian officials at the national launching of the 2019-2020 Gambia demographic health survey (DHS).
The diplomat revealed that the American support will include building the capacity of the Bureau of Statistics in collecting and analyzing survey data, saying “the United States government supports activities in The Gambia to promote stronger health systems for all.”
The launching, designed to highlight the trends in Gambia’s health sector, was attended by the Deputy Mission Director of the Dakar-based USAID, Dr. Zeric Smith, the Vice President of The Gambia, Isatou Touray, the Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, and officials of The Gambia Bureau of Statistics.
“USAID provided both technical and financial support for the survey, costing U$400,000. The DHS results demonstrate positive improvements in the area of maternal care with 84% of births attended by a skilled provider, compared to 57% in 2013.
“Additionally, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate also doubled from 8% in 2013 to 17% in the 2020 DHS.
“Despite noticeable progress in some areas of health, more needs to be done to advance child health. Infant mortality increased from 34% to 42%, and children under 5-mortality increased from 54% to 56% deaths per 1,000 births,” said Ambassador Paschall.
He added that the data from the DHS will help stakeholders make informed decisions on areas that need improvement.
Globally, the DHS Programme, funded by USAID, has provided technical assistance to more than 400 surveys in over 90 countries.
The breadth and depth of the information collected in DHS surveys is recognized as the gold standard for monitoring country progress in improving health outcomes.
