MS SAILEY JALLOW BRINGS 1.6 MILLION MASKS TO THE GAMBIA
The Ministries of Health, Basic and Secondary Education and Higher Education Research, Science and Technology have a huge responsibility in execution to ensure that the PANDEMIC is rolled back and defeated.
There are over half a Million pupils and students in our school system and most of whom hardly wear face masks. The donation should be utilised to ensure that each pupil/student has a mask. The parents should also have masks. Essential users such as health workers , teachers, journalists, security personnel and the list goes on should be targeted. A form of distribution should be adopted to ensure that the masks get into the right hands in a transparent and accountable manner.
At a time when the COVID 19 PANDEMIC is making a second surge in West Africa, The Gambia is blessed with sons and daughters who always think about their country and people even though they live abroad.
Ms Sailey Jallow is one of those sincere advocates of a health care delivery system that addresses the plight of the most vulnerable members of society. For years she has been bringing millions of dalasi worth of materials for the dialysis unit of the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital.
She had made life more comfortable for people in a state of health distress. If one is unable to manage one’s call of nature and is not given the psycho-social support necessary to manage one’s condition one is bound to live in health distress.
1.6 Million Masks to combat the PANDEMIC is not an ordinary initiative . The Ministry of Health as well as the Office of the President need to contact Ms Sailey Jallow and convey a letter of appreciation signed by the Minister and President to express Government’s position regarding the gesture.
Furthermore, Ms. Sailey Jallow deserves a national honour for her consistency and constancy in supporting the health sector.
Section 83 of the Constitution deals with Honours and Awards. It states:
“1) The President may, after consulting the Committee established by subsection (2), confer honours and awards, including honorary honours and awards to friends of The Gambia.”
Subsection 2 adds:
“(2) There shall be a Committee to advise the President on the exercise of his or her powers under this section which shall consist of not more than five, and not less than three, persons appointed by the National Assembly.”
If such a Committee does not exist, it should be immediately constituted to encourage Gambians to continue giving back to their country.
