By: Nyima Sillah
Hon Madi Ceesay, National Assembly Member for Serrekunda West Constituency lamented the Gambia health sector depends on other countries due to misplacement of priorities.
In an interview with this medium after the shutdown of the dialysis machine at EFSTH, Hon Ceesay said “Health is very important and it is disheartening to know that up till now we depend on Senegal and other countries. I think the reason for that is not a lack of resources is just a misplacement of priority.
“We are prioritizing other sectors more than the health sector in the just recently concluded budget session. The monies that are all put together in various places, if we don’t misplace our priorities we would have money to buy this kind of machines in the Gambia.”
He argued that resource is not a problem because, in the recently concluded budget, they have allocated a lot of money on salary increment including National Assembly Members, while adding that they have also allocated money for the president’s travel to the provinces, money in the foreign services in creating three new foreign services.
“This all gets to millions and millions of dalasi if not billions so if we are serious and not misplace our priorities we could have cut those kinds of expenditures and get a machine that will take care of the kidney conditions in the country. It is disheartening that when we get a breakdown we have to get consultancy from other countries. How many lives could be lost within that duration?” he questioned.
Meanwhile, Hon Madi Cessay claimed that some of these people that go for overseas treatment spend money from their pockets. “Government doesn’t do that for anybody and the government’s role is to bring those facilities into the Gambia so that citizens can easily access them. This is the responsibility of the government and that is where they are failing.”
