A lot has been said and continues to be said about the healthcare system in The Gambia. In recent weeks there have been many reports on Social Media about some failings in the healthcare system in the country. Some of these even have to do with private clinics in the country.
In an online platform recently, someone reported about his mother being taken to a private clinic after complaining of a pain on her toe. She was there for three days without seeing a doctor yet they had to p[ay over thirty thousand dalasis. There was no improvement in the condition of the woman.
At another private clinic, the woman’s leg was amputated and the payment was more than seventy thousand dalasi. Two days after being discharged, the woman succumbed to her disease. The family is still grieving even after parting with more than one hundred thousand dalasi on medications.
A man was recently found lying near the Arch 22 in Banjul having fallen down there and could not move. It is said that he had been there for a few days. This person was then taken to the Edward Francis Small teaching Hospital by some Good Samaritans. However it seems that the focus was on who would take care of the patient as no relative of his was known. Ultimately, the man passed away.
One may ask what the rules and regulations are in the healthcare system and what mechanisms are there to monitor the private clinics to ensure that they are doing the right thing. Are there contingencies to ensure that when one is found guilty of negligence one would be sanctioned in one way or the other?
There should be a system in place to make sure no individual or private entity plays with the lives of Gambians. Or, if they do, there will be a stiff price to pay. With these kinds of measures, practitioners will be a little more careful of what they do or how they do it.
Besides, there should be a unit responsible for patients who are unknown. If a person collapses in the streets, there should be a system to take care of them even if their relatives are unknown.
