By Yunus S Saliu
Global Orphan Empowerment Academy (GOEA), Thursday, 16th December, dispensed numerous office furniture worth D334,000.00 to the Laboratory Department of Kanifing General Hospital and as well gave a facelift to the department to enhance comfortable environment for the staff and people visiting the hospital laboratory.
Presenting the items which were received on behalf of the hospital by Mr Baboucar Saine, administrator of Kanifing General Hospital and laboratory department staff, Mrs Mary Gillen, executive director of International Humanitarian Program at Global Orphan Empowerment Academy (GOEA) said the old condition she met the laboratory when she visited was devastated and this has prompted her to give the laboratory a facelift and donate the furniture.
According to her, she visited the hospital in January this year to do an antigen test and “I was a little devastated by the situation, which has prompted me to speak to the deputy head of the laboratory that was present during my visit.”
She added that so far GOEA was able to “paint both interior and outside of the department and with the list of furniture collected from the department, today we are able to donate these furniture to upgrade the interior part of the lab. And we have more projects ahead for the hospital still.”
Receiving the furniture on behalf of the Laboratory Department of the Hospital, Baboucarr MA Saine, Administrator, Kanifing General Hospital expressed delights and commended the Gillen family for dispensing largesse to the hospital, in particular the Laboratory Department.
He classified the donated furniture as of high quality while affirmed that recently, Mrs Mary Gillen, executive director of International Humanitarian Program at Global Orphan Empowerment Academy sponsored the renovation of the laboratory department.
“So, we as an institution we are extremely grateful to the Gillen family for this gesture. Truly she came to this hospital for services and during the period she realized that the hospital need support instead of criticizing the government or the institution she did exactly what every patriotic Gambian should do, which we can all see now,” Administrator Saine explained.
Mr Saine however used the opportunity to encouraged Gambians to emulate what the donor has done, as it will help the country to move forward as a nation and achieve a lot as a nation, “rather than all we often seeing on social media platforms.”
He once again thanked the Gillen family and assured the organization a full and fruitful collaboration.
Madam Aisherry, a biomedical scientist on behalf of the hospital and the laboratory department welcomed the GOEA to the Kanifing General Hospital saying their contribution to the department is very valuable “and definitely we have you at heart.” Adding that, “this type of assistance is what is expected from us as Gambians.”
Kalifa Sanneh Darboe, deputy head of laboratory department on behalf of the Kanifing General Hospital thanked the Global Orphan Empowerment Academy-led by Mrs Mary Gillen, executive director of International Humanitarian Program.
He said development needs lots of hands adding that the furniture will add a lot of value to the laboratory services “as we all need a very good environment to work and we hope and pray that this is just begin of our collaboration.”