By Tabora Bojang
Health Minister Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh has admitted that patients are sometimes admitted on the floor of the emergency unit at the Ndeban clinic due to what he called “capacity issue.”
Dr Samateh was responding to lawmakers during Wednesday’s question and answer session at the National Assembly.
The Member for Sannementereng Fatou Cham wanted to know what the Ministry of Health can do to remedy the situation with patients admitted on the floor.
Dr Samateh replied: “Hon Speaker, it is capacity issue and it is not anyone’s wish to see that. We certainly do not wish for that to happen. What we try to do is to ensure they (patients) are immediately moved and that bed space is created at the EFSTH and occasionally the Sanatorium is also used to ensure patients are moved quickly so that they don’t continue to lie down on the floor especially when accidents happen”.
He continued: “Of course, with casualty situation sometimes there are big accidents which even big hospitals in other countries also suffer and they have similar situations once in a while but it is not supposed to be continuous and we hope with all these expansions that will be a thing of the past”.
According to the minister, Gambia is ranked among the highest in the world with accident rates which has put a huge burden on the health care system.
