By Nelson Manneh
Trust Bank Limited on Monday, 4 December 2023 donated four hundred and fifty-thousand-dalasi worth of medical equipment to Tanka-Tanka and Bundung Maternal Child Hospital.
The 2023 Trust Bank donationto health facilities is part of its social cooperative responsibility. Health equipment worth two hundred and fifty thousand dalasi was donated to Tanka-Tanka Psychiatric Hospital whilst two hundred-thousand-dalasi worth of medical equipment was donated to Bundung Maternal and Child Hospital.
The items donated include second-hand clothing, electrical materials, and detergents among other things as requested by each hospital Management.
Madam Njilan Senghour, the Managing Director of Trust Bank, said in October this year, Trust Bank celebrated its 26th anniversary of continuous growth and success since commencing operation in October 1997.
“We believe that it is our humble duly to give back to the communities which form the cornerstone of our success. We believe that growth can only be meaningful and sustainable when it goes beyond numbers,” she added.
As a leading Bank in the Gambia, Madam Senghour said giving back to the communities where they operate to ensuring the sustainability of their health, socio-economic and ecological environments are integral to their overall business strategy.
“Our aim is to give back in a structured and sustainable manner that ensures the greatest positive impact to the beneficiaries. To achieve this, we carry a need gap analysis with target hospitals to be able to accurately measure areas where our support is most needed. This enables us to deliver supports that are relevant and impact to the hospitals,” she said.
She said that many people think that healthcare is all the physical well-being of individuals without considering the significance of mental health.
“As our society progresses, so too must our understanding and support for those who struggle with mental illnesses,” she pointed out.
The managing director said Tanka-Tanka plays o vital role in providing a safe haven for those in need and a sanctuary, where individuals batting mental illnesses can find refuge, receive proper care, and embark on their journey towards healing and recovery.
“This hospital serves as a beacon of hope, ensuring that no one faces their struggles alone and that support is readily available. Our Corporate Social Responsibility program is grounded on the principles of shoring and caring and we believe this donation is a great way to give back to our Communities,” she said.
Madam Senghour said mental health challenge is one of the most critical health problems and probably among the least understood, noting that it affects more and more people, and causes untold suffering to the families of the afflicted.
She added: “It is a drawback on our human resources and constitutes a financial drain upon both the public and personal family finances.”
Mr Bakary Camara, the officer in charge at the Tanka-Tanka hospital, said their institution is currently housing about seventy-six thousand patients.
“We are having about one hundred and fifty beds, all these patients are mentally affected and the need maximum care at the centre,” he said.
Mr Camara said at Tanka-Tanka, they don’t have a refrigerator to preserve their food stuff, but with the intervention and donation from Trust Bank, they will now have a place to preserve their food.
Dr Mamadi Cham, the Chief Executive Office at the Bundung Maternal Child Hospital, said Bundung hospital has many catchment communities that benefit from maternal care and services provided at the hospital.
“From January up to date, we have registered more than four thousand deliveries. For the hospital to be able to manage all these, we need support and this support given to us by Trust Bank is a live saving support,” he said.
