The Ministry of Health receives over D28m worth of supplies from USAID and UNICEF

Banjul, 06 September 2022

The Ministry of Health of The Gambia has received more than D28 million worth of supplies to support The Gambia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The medical, information technology, and water, sanitation and hygiene supplies were procured and delivered by UNICEF with emergency funds provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

These supplies are part of a US$2 million project funded by USAID to help The Gambia overcome the pandemic through vaccination, communication and community engagement, and the provision of essential health and water, sanitation, and hygiene services. The project is implemented by UNICEF-Gambia country office, in collaboration with governmental institutions and civil society organizations.

The supplies include 14 oxygen concentrators, 500 pulse oximeters, 250 infrared thermometers, 330 digital tablets, 4 laptops and internet dongles, and a large amount of water, sanitation and hygiene materials for 76 health facilities, 50 schools, and 80 public places across the country.

The IT materials will enhance the timely collection and analysis of data by the COVID-19 response teams at the Ministry of Health. These supplies complement the support provided by USAID to UNICEF to accelerate the coverage of Gambians fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

“These supplies will contribute immensely in our efforts to protect more people, including our frontline heroes, from COVID-19 and other diseases and deliver better public health services for the people of The Gambia,” said Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, Minister of Health of The Gambia. “The Ministry of Health has made strong gains in bringing the virus under control, with more than 20% of the population now vaccinated thanks to our great teams and the support of our partners, including the US government and UNICEF.”

Over the past months, through the generous support by USAID, the Ministry of Health and UNICEF have been working with other partners nationwide to provide water, sanitation and hygiene services and training of health workers in more than 50 health facilities on infection prevention and control, training and engagement of more than 2000 young people and religiou leaders on COVID-19 prevention, including vaccination, and delivering important information on COVID-19 and vaccination through the media, reaching more than 500,000 people.

“This donation is the latest of many forms of assistance provided by the United States Government to Gambians during the pandemic,” said the Sharon L Cromer, United States Ambassador to The Gambia. “Since the start of this global health crisis, the United States has donated more than 440,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to The Gambia through the COVAX program. Safe and effective vaccines are our best tools to end the pandemic, and we are proud to have played a major role in keeping Gambians protected.’’

“Health workers need the right tools and resources to save lives,” said Gordon Jonathan Lewis, UNICEF The Gambia Representative. “These supplies are urgently needed in health facilities to deliver quality health care and to protect Gambians against the COVID-19 virus. UNICEF thanks the Government of the United States for investing in the health and wellbeing of Gambians and for supporting the COVID-19 response.”