By Awa Macalo
Gambia’s main referral Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital has received a donation of medical items from the City link Ostend-Banjul project worth over eight hundred thousand dalasi.
The Banjul-Ostend project is a development initiative funded by the EU to support the development plans of the city for 3 years.
The donated items include 80 drums of ethanol, 1 drum of glycerol, 10 litres of plastic bottles, hard plastic tanks, metal paddles and a 500ml measuring cylinder.
The donated items are aimed at enhancing health care delivery within the facility as cases of the Covid-19 continue to surge both home and globally.
According to the donors, the project has put huge emphasis on accessible health care delivery towards complementing government’s commitments in providing better health care items to the citizenry.
Receiving the items on behalf of the EFSTH Peter Correa, the hospital PRO welcomed the gesture, calling it a timely intervention.
He said the donated items will now enable the hospital to produce its own hand sanitizer which will be used by people coming in and out of the hospital.
Mam Lai Jassey, the project coordinator of City link Ostend-Banjul project, said the initiative started sometime last year, after having fruitful discussion with the hospital management on how they could facilitate efforts for the hospital to produce its own hand sanitizing liquid to protect patients, nurses and other health practitioners from contracting Covid-19.
“This is now the reality, the hospital will be producing its hand sanitizers and we are now hopeful that with it, every person entering the premises will have access to sanitise their hands for safety. We are also glad that the gesture is appreciated, hoping to provide more support to the hospital.”
Officials said since the commencement of collaboration between the Belgian City of Ostend and the City of Banjul much attention and support has been given to health care delivery.
