By: Nyima Sillah
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), Dr. Ammar Al Jafari, has disclosed that EFSTH has low mortality while 90% of the mortality cases (at EFSTH) are from the referral hospitals.
In an exclusive interview with this medium during the 1st Banjul Surgical Scientific Conference held in Banjul, Dr. Jafari said the Mortality rate is down while refuting the public hearsay of dying patients at the hospital.
Justifying his refutation of some of the hearsay statements, he explained that “90% of the mortality cases are from the referral hospitals. They keep patients for 10-15 days, take their money and when they are about to die within 24hrs they will now bring them to EFSTH. This is because they don’t want to have mortality in their hospital. If the public knows this (what is behind some of the sayings), they will forgive us,” he stressed.
He advised colleagues from referral hospitals to contact them when they have critical cases, and not to keep patients until the last minute before referring them to EFTSH. “We can work together, we have the same target, and patients’ lives are our priority.”
However, the health sector, he noted, is improving, not like what people say sometimes saying EFSTH services are not bad it is improving and in the right direction.
“People should stop sitting at home writing on Facebook that EFSTH is bad. This is not good for us you are frustrating us. We work for 24hrs to save Gambian patients. When you have a problem come to the hospital or contact me I am available 24hrs. We are in the right direction everything is step-by-step every day we have achievements,” Dr. Jafari strongly emphasized.
The CMD claimed that there are a lot of changes saying in the past there were many patients who died because there was a lack of oxygen but now he said they are having three oxygen plants and they are going to open a Gastroenterology unit which is going to be 24hrs.
Thus he said now their biggest challenge is to have a Gastroenterology operation,
Dr. Jafari emphasized now, they are in the right direction while promising Gambians that “from now to the end of 2024 no patient will travel for any treatment outside the Gambia. We save the government money because they spend too much on overseas treatment.”
Meanwhile, he advised people ahead of the rainy season and everyone to be careful especially the drivers noting that in the rainy season, vision is always their problem.
