{"id":91050,"date":"2025-11-29T17:18:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T17:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages"},"modified":"2025-11-29T19:19:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T19:19:48","slug":"assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages","title":{"rendered":"Assembly Gender Committee Flags Incubator Shortages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>The National Assembly\u2019s Select Committee on Gender and Children has raised concerns over neonatal care in The Gambia, revealing that during peak periods, up to four babies may share a single incubator.<\/b><\/p>\n

The findings come from the committee\u2019s nationwide tour of orphanages, rehabilitation centres, children\u2019s facilities, and the Juvenile Unit. The report was presented on Thursday by Hon. Fatou Cham, a committee member, who said staff at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital admitted that one incubator\u2014and sometimes one radiant warmer\u2014could accommodate as many as four babies at a time during busy periods.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not ideal,\u201d Hon. Cham stated. \u201cBut at peak season, it can go up to four babies sharing one incubator.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report also highlighted high neonatal mortality rates. Nurses in the Intensive Care Unit explained that many newborns are transferred from other facilities in critical condition, often too late for effective intervention.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll they can do is stabilize the babies,\u201d the report said. \u201cAdditionally, the unit suffers from insufficient equipment. During peak periods, mothers sometimes have to hold their babies on their laps for warmth while waiting for machines to become available. Phototherapy units and incubators are inadequate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurses revealed that currently, the neonatal unit has only fifteen incubators and a single radiant warmer.<\/p>\n

Hon. Cham further highlighted challenges at Tanka Tanka, a critical institution for treatment, rehabilitation, and reintegration, which serves patients from across The Gambia and even neighbouring Senegal and Guinea. At the time of the committee\u2019s visit, she said, the facility had 85 patients but only one social worker.<\/p>\n

The committee also observed that a building for male patients had been damaged in a fire caused by a patient attempting suicide and remains unrepaired, creating significant operational challenges. Staffing shortages, lack of essential drugs, inadequate mattresses, and absence of an ambulance compound the facility\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n

The committee then recommended that the Ministry of Health should urgently increase the number of incubators and radiant warmers to prevent multiple babies from sharing equipment and ensure timely, safe thermal care. It also called on the Ministry of Gender and the Ministry of Health to guarantee a reliable supply of essential drugs, improve access to medical care, and seek partnerships with philanthropists to address resource and infrastructure shortages.<\/p>\n

In addition, the committee urged the expansion of human resources, specialized staff training for complex medical cases, and consistent provision of wheelchairs, medical equipment, and teaching aids. Educational improvements for students with disabilities, repair of damaged buildings, improved sanitation, and better fencing were also recommended to ensure safe and accessible environments for all children.<\/p>\n

The report paints a stark picture of systemic neglect and chronic underfunding. The committee stressed that urgent government action is crucial to safeguard the welfare and future potential of the country\u2019s most vulnerable citizens.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. The National Assembly\u2019s Select Committee on Gender and Children has raised concerns over neonatal care in The Gambia, revealing that during peak periods, up to four babies may share a single incubator. The findings come from the committee\u2019s nationwide tour of orphanages, rehabilitation centres, children\u2019s facilities, and the Juvenile Unit. The report […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":91049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-91050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nAssembly Gender Committee Flags Incubator Shortages - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The National Assembly\u2019s Select Committee on Gender and Children has raised concerns over neonatal care in The Gambia, ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Assembly Gender Committee Flags Incubator Shortages\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The National Assembly\u2019s Select Committee on Gender and Children has raised concerns over neonatal care in The Gambia, ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-29T17:18:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-29T19:19:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/11\/sm_1764431303.750042.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Assembly Gender Committee Flags Incubator Shortages\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-29T17:18:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-29T19:19:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages\"},\"wordCount\":485,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/11\/sm_1764431303.750042.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/assembly-gender-committee-flags-incubator-shortages\",\"name\":\"Assembly Gender Committee Flags Incubator Shortages - 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