St. Goods for Gambia, a Netherlands-based charity that focuses on education, health and extend support to needy households on Thursday donated three medical beds to the Bajulinding Health Center, in Kombo North.
Morr Touray, chairperson of the organisation informed that they first donated six beds and twenty boxes of medical items last month to the same health centre.
“And today we brought three beds to be handed over to the facility”.
Touray indicated that they have donated a lot to hospitals in The Gambia, which includes Sukuta, Bundung, and Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, adding that plans are in the offing to extend similar support to other hospitals in the country.
“I first visited the hospital to know about their problem and condition and it was when I found out that most beds especially in the maternity ward have no mattresses and that was when I sent the information back to my team in the Netherlands,” he said.
Mariama Balajo, head of the maternity ward at the hospital, said one of their main challenges at the hospital is delivery beds and they are now in a season, where there are high birth rates at the hospital and there are only two delivery beds which are just made out of metal.
“These beds will be of great help to us because most beds that are not in good shape are being replaced by these new beds donated by St Goods for Gambia. This is the second time that this charity is bringing in beds to the hospital and I must commend the gesture,” she stated.
Ms Balajo said that the donated items will be of good use to the centre, further highlighting other challenges such as lack of enough space at the maternity ward.
“These sometimes force us to put two patients on one bed. Another challenge is that essential drugs are not enough and the detergents they use for cleaning too are not adequate,” she said.
She thus hailed St Goods for Gambia for the gesture, adding that their support would uplift greatly the working conditions at the health centre, especially those at the maternity ward.
She assured that donated materials would be put to good use.
“I am urging other organisations to also come on board to support a worthy cause, as government alone cannot do it all,” she concluded.
