By: Binta Jaiteh
The Gambia’s higher education, science and research minister has declared that The Gambia will be transformed into a hub for medical education soon as there are plans in the works to construct 16 laboratories at the School of Medicine and Allied Sciences of the UTG.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing on Friday during the unveiling of the Lot 3 project of the School of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Prof. Pierre Gomez said the School of Medicine was part of the first schools of the UTG, reporting that it will have 16 laboratories in two years to come.
He expressed the optimism that the Gambia’s medical landscape will witness a positive change, transforming the country into a hub for medical education.
“Within a short period of time, the medical landscape will change and The Gambia will become a hub for medical education,” he told journalists.
He explained to reporters that 70 to 80% of applications for places in the medical school are turned down annually due to space issues .
“We go to Senegal or India to study,” he stated.
“This year, we have celebrated 60 years of independence. Our independence must be meaningful and also make sense to us. We went to school to take charge of independence . How independent are we when we are not in the position to take charge of our destiny?” he stated.
According to Prof. Gomez, as part of steps to ensuring that the country’s independence makes sense to the citizenry, the government has decided to act.
“The President instructed us to make sure that this is implemented as soon as possible,”said minister Gomez.
For his part, Prof. Herbert Robinson, vice chancellor of the UTG, highlighted that the strengthening of the medical school is part of the broader effort to strengthen the higher education infrastructure.
Prof. Robinson explained that the UTG currently accommodates 7500 students.
“We are all excited about the development. I think it is important for us to take note of this transformation. It will help the university as we embark on a transformation to make sure that our students have the best environment to study. We all know the challenges we face in the healthcare sector. There are serious constraints in terms of capacity expansion. This Lot 3 is designed to address that challenge.”
He explained that the school of medicine and allied sciences received 600 applications for key areas of medicine, nursing and public health.
