By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The former chief medical director of Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) is a victim of his desire to ensure financial propriety and transparency at the Gambia’s main referral hospital, hospital sources informed this medium.
The erstwhile chief medical director was yanked more than a week ago and no official reason was advanced for the move.
Dr. Jafari has become a darling of many Gambians for his “genuine concern” for the Gambia’s health sector.
He remained on the contact lines of the country’s health sector through his contribution to the nourishment of the main referral hospital’s human resource capacity as well as taking a vanguard position in seeking material support for the health facility.
Sources close to Dr. Jafari informed this reporter that the former chief medical officer was not only saddened by his removal but was also feeling betrayed.
“His instrumentality in ensuring that the hospital’s finances are managed by the GTB has earned him the wrath of those squandering hospital funds,” one of our sources said.
Another highly-placed source informed this medium that the hospital’s revenue jumped from a little over D1M to close to D4M when GTB took charge.
“Some of the corrupt hospital staff did not like this and they therefore schemed for his removal as the chief medical director,” the source added.
Sources have also informed this reporter that Dr. Jafari had difficult relations with Dr. Sallah over money that AIU reportedly owed the government. Dr. Sallah, according to sources, has been serving as the chairman of the university’s board of directors. Efforts to reach him to deny or admit this allegation were abortive.
The removal of Dr. Jafari has been seen in a lot of quarters as a reversal in the fight against official corruption. He has been reportedly moved to EFSTH’s radiology department.
The Gambia government has since replaced him with Dr. Mustapha Bittaye.