By: Kebba AF Touray
Sidia Jatta, the National Assembly Member for Wuli West, has told his fellow lawmakers that preventive and curative measures are fundamental requirements in combating COVID-19.
Jatta who was intervening on the report of the Health Committee at the legislature, maintained that these two measures are imperative fundamental requirements that have to be fulfilled in fighting against Coronavirus.
He explicated “We have capacity for preventive measure, but we don’t have capacity for curative measure. I am speaking because we are at the mercy of the world. Africa is at the mercy of the world”. Ebola came here and we were at mercy of the world”.
Jatta inquires “don’t we have scientists?’.
He added “I am not hearing any effort being made continentally to invent a cure for the disease. Ebola came here it was outsiders who did it for us and this one is also here and we are sitting down folding our hands”.
He stressed that the problem cannot be solved unless there is cure and getting rid of the coronavirus.
He stressed: “That is the fundamental issue here. Why are we not capacitating our medical establishments to have that capacity? We have been here for 50 years, but we cannot have specialists and people who are capable of creating vaccines and medicine for this”.
He continued: “These are the issues we must raise and they should break into our conscience. We say we are independent but we cannot continue to rely on the world for our survival. There have to be means to do just that. For me, we must from now capacitate our medical establishments to have a core of scientists, to serve our purpose if we don’t have that we are nowhere”.
Jatta said the country has people who can solve our problems and there is need to capacitate them, adding “the best thing to now, is to pack and go to our people and sensitize them to understand the situation, as well as organize them on how to prevent themselves from the disease”.
He added that the whole world is against people gathering in one place because the belief is that one can have it in 14 days without signs and nobody knows who has it, because it does not show until 14 days.
Jatta challenged: “We must do what is in the interest of our people. God forbids if the disease comes here, culturally, it will spread like bush fire and all the country will get it once. Why….?”
He said this is because people pray and eat together, and “we are here together. Wherever we meet, we are mingling everywhere, so it will be easier to spread here than elsewhere”.
Jatta said Gambians must take into consideration all factors that can easily spread the disease.
Jatta said: “We must take control of our borders and our airport. If you don’t do that, we are not saved.”
According to him, the State should mobilize the paramilitary who should be accompanied by medical personnel to control Gambia’s borders, adding “that is what we must do, otherwise we are not saved.”
He added: “We have a responsibility to our people. For me am going back to Wuli to help and organize my people on how to prevent themselves from the disease. That is what we must do”
