Dr. Ammar Al Jafari, Consultant Radiologist and Chief Medical Director (CMD), Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) has stated that the demand for oxygen by the nation’s biggest referral hospital remains the biggest challenge.
He noted that all four branches of the teaching hospital are all requesting supplies of oxygen daily, posing challenges to the hospital management.
The chief medical officer made the remarks at the (EFSTH in Banjul Friday, where Banjul Oxygen Company donated twenty-five (25) clinical oxygen cylinders to the hospital as part of a larger consignment of oxygen cylinders earmarked for donations to major hospitals in the country.
“Oxygen is always a big challenge for us at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), at the theatre, and every other place in the hospital and we need oxygen. Until we have our oxygen plant, we need bottles of oxygen every day at EFSTH, at the Sanitarium, at the Ndemban Clinic, and at Tanka Tanka,” Dr. Ammar Al Jafari said.
He noted that all these four branches of the hospital need oxygen every day, and he commends Banjul Oxygen for the donation, revealing that this is not the first time Banjul Oxygen Company is donating clinical Oxygen cylinders to the EFSTH.
Fatoumatta Tambedou, Nursing Supervisor, Kanifing General Hospital commended Banjul Oxygen for the gesture, disclosing that Covid-19 patients are now on the increase adding this donation will not only help the management but equally the patients as the demand for oxygen use in the hospital is on the increase
Seedy Grant, Administrative Manager, Banjul Oxygen Company, said the donation is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility strategy of giving back to the Gambian populace.
He said it was out of the high demand for oxygen by patients at the nation’s referral hospitals that motivated the move to donate bottles of clinical oxygen cylinders with the view to address the challenges these hospitals are confronted with.
He disclosed that Banjul Oxygen Company is a fully Gambian-owned company that has been existing for more than 30 years thus contributing immensely towards the development of the country, adding that its aims and objective are to make oxygen affordable and accessible to all and sundry living in the country and beyond.
“The donation of oxygen to various hospitals across the country is so dear to our hearts as a company. This benevolent gesture is part of our corporate social responsibilities to help Gambians, especially hospitals,” Seedy Grant Administration Manager, Banjul Oxygen Company disclosed.
He added: “Helping the needy are at the center stage of our developmental aspirations because a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. Oxygen is a key consumable that everyone needs, in hospitals. Therefore, taking into account that Banjul Oxygen is the leading, the most trustworthy, and the most reliable oxygen producer in The Gambia, thus our managing director deems it necessary to complement government efforts in serving the beneficiaries’ hospitals.”
