Africa-Press – Gambia. Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, the minister of health, on Monday briefed the National Assembly on steps his ministry has taken to comply with recommendations issued by the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) following the audit of the government’s 2020 accounts.
Appearing before lawmakers, Dr. Samateh said public hospitals—including Bansang General Hospital, Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and Farafenni General Hospital—have strengthened governance and financial controls. Measures, he said, include installing secure safes, digitizing financial records through the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), segregating financial duties, and remitting withholding taxes to the Gambia Revenue Authority.
Addressing the committee’s concerns about Bansang General Hospital, Dr. Samateh said the hospital’s management had submitted all board meeting minutes from 2022 through 2025, in line with FPAC’s directive to submit the 2022–2023 records within 30 days.
“Honorable Speaker, management has made copies of all board minutes from 2022 to 2025 and forwarded them to FPAC,” he said.
He added that the hospital had also regularized its board membership to meet audit recommendations.
On unresolved financial discrepancies, the minister reported that efforts were ongoing to reconcile missing payments, including a long-standing issue involving D260,000 in rent fees expected from Africell.
“Following total consultations, both written and personal visits made to Africell’s head office, management has been unable to establish the payment of the sum of D260,000 covering rent payments for the years 2016 and 2017,” he told lawmakers. “Despite efforts to clarify this matter, no conclusive evidence verifying the receipt of these funds has been found.”
Dr. Samateh also outlined broader health-sector reforms. These include reviewing health-related legislation with support from the World Bank, implementing appropriate allowances for hospital staff, and ensuring that chief executive officers of hospitals meet the administrative qualifications required for their roles.
“Management has commenced the full implementation of the FPAC recommendations,” he said, adding that monitoring mechanisms had been established to ensure compliance and regular reporting to the relevant authorities.
For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press
