By Landing Ceesay
The management of the Fajikunda Major Health Center, on Thursday, January 5th, 2023, inaugurated a newly built state-of-the-art Maternal ward worth over five million dalasis.
The maternity ward is fully funded by Cort Semler and Ramatoulie Beyai, a couple based in Germany.
The state-of-the-art maternal ward has 6 delivery rooms, 1 treatment room, a nurses’ station, an office, and a kitchen.
Dr. Fatoumatta Dibba, Assistant Director of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, thanked the donors for building the maternal ward at Fajikunda.
Dr. Dibba said Maternal and newborn care is at the top of the agenda for the Ministry of Health.
“Having a standard facility taking care of the needs of children and women in the country is really appreciated. This will go a long way in improving the quality of the healthcare system. Make sure you go by the ethics when you are taking care of the patients as our profession dictated. Discipline is key. We are in an era even if you don’t mean harm people can interpret it differently, especially on social media,” Dr. Dibba advised the staff of Fajikubda Major Health Center.
Alhagie Sankareh, Director of Health Service Western 1, said infrastructure is a key pillar in supporting the fundamental aim of promoting improved standards of care and well-being for all patients.
Mr. Sankareh said maintaining existing facilities and acquiring newer technologies to provide patients and staff with adequate standards contribute as much to the efficacy of the healthcare infrastructure.
“It is in the best interest of facility occupants to be equipped with good infrastructure and technology, despite numerous financial constraints which limit our purchasing capacity. For this reason, investing in health
maintenance or building new facilities frequently comes second place when competing against technology that is correlated with a direct return on investment (RO1). Investing in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit, for example, takes precedence over the maintenance
and building of new facilities because of the marked ROl associated with it. Consequently, the MRI is prioritized over simpler maintenance of items like air-handling units (AHU) or boilers,” Mr. Sankareh said.
Ramatoulie Camara-Daye, the Officer In Charge of the Health Center described the inauguration as a beautiful and one of the most memorable days for each staff of Fajikunda Major Health Center, the Ministry of Health, their regional directorate, the surrounding of Fajikunda and the Gambia at large.
The OIC said Fajikunda is one of the largest communities with a population of 315, 505 and a live birth of 4,200 annually.
“One would ask why the need for us to have a state-of-the-art maternal ward. If you look at our statistics, our population coverage definitely needs the state-of-the-art maternal ward to be built in this facility. This building would not only be for the mothers. We are advocating for male involvement in reproductive healthcare. That is the main reason why the structure is been built. It is built in such a way that every woman has the opportunity to come along with her partner to be there with her until she delivers.
“So I felt that this type of structure has never been built in the Gambia. We are trying as much as we can to avoid zero infection of the mother and the newborn child. That is the main reason the facility felt it is very important for every pregnant mother who comes to Fajikunda to deliver would not be entering the labour ward with their clothes but a gown that we sewed from the facility just to avoid infection,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mrs.Ramatoulie Beyai, who together with her husband Cort Semler sponsored the construction of the maternal ward has called on the natives of Fajikunda to join her to develop their community.
Mrs. Beyai further asks for more prayers so that she can do something for the community bigger than the maternal ward.
“I was born and raised here in Fajikunda, but I have lived in Germany for the past 21 years. The reason I am standing here today, the hospital wants a sponsor. I told them that this hospital is the only one I know in Fajikunda. When our kids are sick, they take them to Brikama. When our women are in labour, they are also taken up to Brikama. I am a woman and I know how painful giving birth is. So that’s why I sponsored this maternal ward here. I am urging you all to help your wives during pregnancy because it is a very difficult time for women,” she said.
The inauguration of the maternal ward at Fajikunda ward was held on Thursday at the facility.