This Saturday, thirty-eight Gambian health workers concluded a five-day training course by a Turkish aid agency on emergency response as The Gambia’s Health ministry plans to set up its first national emergency service unit.
The training was the second since 2019 as Gambian authorities work to establish a national emergency services unit. A prior training capacitated 28 Gambian health workers who learned skills, including basic and advanced life support.
This time, three doctors and two paramedics led by an official from the Turkish Health Ministry conducted the training organized by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).
Abdoulie Bah, a Gambian doctor who participated, thanked Turkish officials for the opportunity. “A training like this is very significant in improving our capacity for emergency preparedness. It is very difficult to travel during this time of the pandemic and you have taken the risk to give out all you have. We want to say thank you,” said Bah,” Dr. Bah said.
“We want to have a national emergency service unit. The training is to equip our health workers for that task. Now, we will select a number of people who are part of this training to train others,” said Dr, Abubacarr Jagne, the head of Gambia’s coronavirus treatment.
TIKA has been a longstanding partner of Gambia’s Health Ministry. The agency has also supported Gambia’s virus response efforts through several projects.
It is currently working with the Health Ministry to build an oxygen plant, said the group’s Banjul coordinator, Mehmet Akif.
