United Democratic Party Secretary General Ousainou Darboe Sunday faulted the Government’s decision to convert the Serrekunda Hospital into a COVID 19 treatment centre.
He said: “ The recently announced decision of designating the Serrekunda Hospital as an exclusive Covid 19 treatment center risks jeopardising access to healthcare for the large number of patients that rely on this facility for the treatment of non-Covid illnesses at a time when our already over stretched health facilities have difficulties coping with their existing patients loads .”
He was speaking at a press conference marking the 24th anniversary of the founding of the United Democratic Party.
He added that the net result would be a denial of easy access to medical care for treatment of other illnesses. He added: “A better alternative would be to release to the Ministry of Health the big air conditioned tents that Yahya Jammeh purchased with our funds currently sitting on statehouse grounds and position them at a suitable locations, properly equipped to be used as a treatment center for Covid-19 patients.”
He said the tents can accommodate a large number of patients and their caregivers with some augmentation of materials and other resources. This will allow our limited health facilities to see a cross section of patients battling non Covid serious illnesses as the identified Covid cases are referred to the designated treatment centers, he added.
