Back and Next - Back and NextVP inaugurates D17.5M psychiatric hospital
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, vice president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, on Thursday inaugurated the newly built Tanka Tanka Psychiatric hospital, worth €485,000, equivalent to D17.5 million, at the Salagi Estate in Western Region.
In her inaugural statement on behalf the Gambian leader, Professor Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, Vice President Njie-Saidy recalled that it was less than two years ago when Anna Bowman, the representative of the Tanka Tanka Foundation, approached her with a request to be allowed to mobilise funds from her country, under the banner of the Tanka Tanka Foundation, to either improve the conditions of the Campama Psychiatric Hospital or to construct a new psychiatric facility in the country.
The vice president further recalled that she laid the foundation of the new psychiatric hospital exactly one year ago, after the independence anniversary celebrations, adding that the inauguration clearly shows that it has taken the Tanka Tanka Foundation barely one year to construct and hand over the edifice. On behalf of the government and people of The Gambia, VP Njie-Saidy expressed profound gratitude to Anna Bowman and all the other donors in Holland who helped to finance this important project.
"The Tanka Tanka Psychiatric hospital has come at a time when the Campama Psychiatric unit of the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) is in poor physical condition, with limited space to meet the demands of increased admissions. This new hospital is therefore intended to replace Campama for psychiatric care", Vice President Njie-Saidy remarked. She described the new hospital as an important contribution towards government’s efforts in providing quality, affordable and cost-effective mental health care services to Gambians.
"It further complements government’s efforts in developing quality programmes and responsive policies that would enhance the improvement of the health sector in line with the MDGs, PRSP and Vision 2020. We will continue to integrate mental health services into all levels of the health sector’s master plan, including the development of the critical man power needed to execute these services", Vice President Njie-Saidy stated.
She finally thanked the department of state for Health and Social Welfare, the department of state for Local Government and Lands and all stakeholders, in making this project come to fruition.
Speaking earlier, Dr Mariatou Jallow, secretary of state for Health and Social Welfare, said although mental health constitutes an integral part of their wider comprehensive health care package, it still has not shown much evidence of social transformation. She observed that people with mental disorders are still very much stigmatised and discriminated against.
Under the leadership of President Jammeh, SoS Jallow went on, our health care delivery system has evolved significantly and we are now widely recognised as having one of the best health systems in the sub-region. "Mental Health has been defined by the WHO as a state of emotional and psychological wellbeing, in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities to function in society. It is the fundamental right of people with mental disorders to have access to quality health care and be treated with dignity in an environment that is least restrictive and in a least intrusive manner", SoS Jallow remarked.
She revealed that mental health is now fully decentralised and integrated into the country’s primary health care system, adding that the latest figures indicate that around 1,954 patients received outpatient treatment in the six health administrative regions. Dr Jallow finally thanked the Dutch philanthropist foundation (Tanka Tanka), through Anna Bowman, describing them as true friends of The Gambia.
For her part, Anna Bowman, head of the Tanka Tanka Foundation, said the building of this psychiatric hospital started 9 months ago when her organisation felt that the status of the Campama psychiatric hospital should be improved. Madam Bowman saluted The Gambia for being the only country in West Africa that gives special attention to mental illness. She thanked President Jammeh and his government, the department of state for Health and Social Welfare and the Future In Our Hands (FIOH) group, who were the contractors of this project, for their support and co-operation.
Anna Marie-Mendy, matron of the RVTH, delivered the vote of thanks, while Sulayman Samba, permanent secretary at the department of state for Health and Social Welfare, chaired the ceremony. The vice president, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, was taken on conducted tour of the new hospital, and was accompanied by Hon Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, Speaker of the National Assembly, secretaries of state, health officials, Tanka Tanka Foundation members and other dignitaries who graced the occasion.
In her inaugural statement on behalf the Gambian leader, Professor Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, Vice President Njie-Saidy recalled that it was less than two years ago when Anna Bowman, the representative of the Tanka Tanka Foundation, approached her with a request to be allowed to mobilise funds from her country, under the banner of the Tanka Tanka Foundation, to either improve the conditions of the Campama Psychiatric Hospital or to construct a new psychiatric facility in the country.
The vice president further recalled that she laid the foundation of the new psychiatric hospital exactly one year ago, after the independence anniversary celebrations, adding that the inauguration clearly shows that it has taken the Tanka Tanka Foundation barely one year to construct and hand over the edifice. On behalf of the government and people of The Gambia, VP Njie-Saidy expressed profound gratitude to Anna Bowman and all the other donors in Holland who helped to finance this important project.
"The Tanka Tanka Psychiatric hospital has come at a time when the Campama Psychiatric unit of the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) is in poor physical condition, with limited space to meet the demands of increased admissions. This new hospital is therefore intended to replace Campama for psychiatric care", Vice President Njie-Saidy remarked. She described the new hospital as an important contribution towards government’s efforts in providing quality, affordable and cost-effective mental health care services to Gambians.
"It further complements government’s efforts in developing quality programmes and responsive policies that would enhance the improvement of the health sector in line with the MDGs, PRSP and Vision 2020. We will continue to integrate mental health services into all levels of the health sector’s master plan, including the development of the critical man power needed to execute these services", Vice President Njie-Saidy stated.
She finally thanked the department of state for Health and Social Welfare, the department of state for Local Government and Lands and all stakeholders, in making this project come to fruition.
Speaking earlier, Dr Mariatou Jallow, secretary of state for Health and Social Welfare, said although mental health constitutes an integral part of their wider comprehensive health care package, it still has not shown much evidence of social transformation. She observed that people with mental disorders are still very much stigmatised and discriminated against.
Under the leadership of President Jammeh, SoS Jallow went on, our health care delivery system has evolved significantly and we are now widely recognised as having one of the best health systems in the sub-region. "Mental Health has been defined by the WHO as a state of emotional and psychological wellbeing, in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities to function in society. It is the fundamental right of people with mental disorders to have access to quality health care and be treated with dignity in an environment that is least restrictive and in a least intrusive manner", SoS Jallow remarked.
She revealed that mental health is now fully decentralised and integrated into the country’s primary health care system, adding that the latest figures indicate that around 1,954 patients received outpatient treatment in the six health administrative regions. Dr Jallow finally thanked the Dutch philanthropist foundation (Tanka Tanka), through Anna Bowman, describing them as true friends of The Gambia.
For her part, Anna Bowman, head of the Tanka Tanka Foundation, said the building of this psychiatric hospital started 9 months ago when her organisation felt that the status of the Campama psychiatric hospital should be improved. Madam Bowman saluted The Gambia for being the only country in West Africa that gives special attention to mental illness. She thanked President Jammeh and his government, the department of state for Health and Social Welfare and the Future In Our Hands (FIOH) group, who were the contractors of this project, for their support and co-operation.
Anna Marie-Mendy, matron of the RVTH, delivered the vote of thanks, while Sulayman Samba, permanent secretary at the department of state for Health and Social Welfare, chaired the ceremony. The vice president, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, was taken on conducted tour of the new hospital, and was accompanied by Hon Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, Speaker of the National Assembly, secretaries of state, health officials, Tanka Tanka Foundation members and other dignitaries who graced the occasion.
Author: by Assan Sallah
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