In an interview with The Standard, the ruling-APRC party top hack retorted: “He is just making noise. You know empty barrels make the most sound. The comments have no foundation. They are fictitious, unfounded and offensive to the people of The Gambia. It is not just for us as a government or as a party but the people who are benefitting directly from the infrastructural development. These are the people who are also benefitting from the relevant, quality and affordable healthcare service system as opposed to when he [OJ] was an influential minister of the [PPP] government. It is an insult to Gambian people to compare the healthcare infrastructure now with that time. In fact there was no health infrastructure. I was amazed when I read OJ saying they built a hospital in Basse and in Jahally Pacharr. Maybe this Basse is in Space or Senegal. In fact, the people of Basse will never forgive him for mentioning that there is a hospital built by the PPP government.
“You see when you are comparing, you should compare things that are probably similar or those that are virtually almost of the same nature. But he [OJ] cannot compare his regime with this one particularly in the area of health. Every Gambian and non-Gambian living in this country has access to not only affordable but quality and relevant medical care. By the way, what is a hospital to them? Is primary healthcare a hospital to them because the first time the people of URR had access to a major healthcare centre is under the current government? This healthcare centre has now been upgraded almost to the standard of a hospital with equipment, doctors and medicine. If you look back at July 21 1994 onwards, there was not a single Gambian trained as a doctor to serve at a public hospital. In fact there was no hospital built by that government. You don’t only speculate but you have to base your argument on facts and the realities on the ground. Go to Farafenni, people come from Senegal to seek medical attention and care from that hospital. Also if you go there, you will see the human resource personnel who are trained by our government.”
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