By Kebba AF Touray
The staff of the Old Jeshwang Health Centre were decorated for their outstanding performance, commitment, and dedication to duty in managing and upkeeping the facility, as well as the quality and excellent medical services they continue to render to the community.
The award ceremony, held last Thursday 30th January 2025, was also to recognize the pivotal roles of both staff and the management of the health facility.
Gibi Chorr said the theme of the awards ceremony aligns with the mission and vision of the health facility.
“We have embarked on technology to enhance our ability to deliver efficient and precise medical care. Our infrastructure has improved from when the founders had the idea to provide a health facility for the community, and we take time to remember being chaired and led by the late Alhagie Abdoulie Sowe,” he said.
Hon. Sheriff Sarr, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors said the facility which emanated from the “Tesito” efforts of the community, now serves excellent medical care to the residents within and outside of the community.
“Access to medical care services at the time was tough, with the nearest facility being the one in Bakau where our parents especially pregnant women, travelled to, to get medical care. The idea came from different citizens of the community to ease their access to health care services,” Hon. Sarr, the NAM of Old Jeshwang explained.
On his part, the Regional Director of Health Services in Western 1, Musa Camara, said the facility offers health care services to the wider community beyond its operational catchment area.
“It has a serving population of 21,863 with 5 nurse midwives conducting an average of 20 to 25 deliveries per month on shift duties, and 240 to 300 deliveries per year,” Director Camara said.
He asserted the need for concerted efforts to ensure the health and well-being of the people and said they can collectively attain the national development goals to save the government, families, and development partners from their expenditure burdens on drugs.
He expressed thanks and appreciation to the management, staff, community, and partners who supported the transformation and improvement of healthcare services at the said facility.
“These development initiatives and interventions towards improving lives and livelihood of Gambians and residents is indeed complimentary to the efforts of government,” he said and implored the staff to always serve, cherish and nurture their professional code of ethics in health service delivery.
He noted the acquisition of good health and well-being is a fundamental right.
Mr. Dominic Mendy, the guest speaker, said such a ceremony is to publicly recognize and appreciate all the staff and people without whom the health center would not have been heard of. The health center, he added, has been in existence for years like most health centres and in its challenges, but little has been known about it before 2021. He said the centre could not boast of anything to highlight its uniqueness within Kanifing and Jeshwang communities, but said the staff of the facility appeared to have listened and incorporated the advice of former US president Obama during the latter’s visit to the Ghanaian parliament, where he spoke about service delivery. He quoted ex-president Obama as saying that Africa needs strong institutions and not strong leaders and that society and nations are a configuration of the institutions that form those countries, and “if those institutions are strong, efficient, and well structured, those nations, without doubt, will be equally strong and efficient, and everyone will love them, and want to live in them”.
Thus he said, the center decided it will transform towards excellence through strategic change, and sustain a culture of dedication and excellence, which the award ceremony seeks to recognise.
