 
Contact Address:
Ministry
of Health
& Social Welfare
MOH
Banjul capital office, Quadrangle
The Gambia, West Africa
Tel no: 4227605 / 4228291 / 4201341 / 4223263
Fax: 4223178
Email: info@moh.gov.gm
Social Welfare Dept., Marina Parade, T. 4224681
Directorate of Planning T. 4225712 / 4225 379
|
Information:
The public health service delivery system in The Gambia
is three tiered, based on the primary health care strategy.
Goals:
Provision of quality health care services in Gambia
within an enabling environment, delivered by appropriately
and adequately trained, skilled and motivated personnel
at all levels of care with the involvement of all stakeholders
to ensure a healthy population.
Management & Organisation:
Management of resources for health care, both human,
financial and material, still remains centralised at
the health headquarters. Divisional health systems are
weak with no clear operational linkages with the central
level, the community and the other providers in the
private and traditional healing systems.
There is need for improving efficiency and effectiveness
in the organisation and management of the health sector
through (a) Management reform (b) creation of popular
structures (i.e. Hospital board and local public health
committees ) for re-enforcing community participation
in decision making, and (c) devolution of responsibilities,
authority and resources to the Hospital and Divisional
Health Management Teams and village development committee.
Linkages between and functions of all the management
structures should be clearly defined to ensure harmony,
promote self-management (autonomy) and re-enforce the
decentralisation process.
To ensure client satisfaction a quality assurance system
will be developed. The following structures will be
developed to monitor service delivery in order to maintain
quality and standards in health care.
Medical & Dental Council:
This will be re-organised and strengthened to better
monitor:
• Registration of medical and dental officers
• Medical and dental practice
• Training of medical
officers (Provide guidelines for training)
Nurses and Midwives Council:
This will be re-organised and strengthened to better
monitor:
• Registration of nurses and midwives
• Nursing practice
Pharmacy Council:
This will be established to monitor:
• Registration
of pharmacists
• Pharmacy practice
Provision would be made for the establishment of other
regulatory bodies e.g. Medical Laboratory Technologist/Scientist
Council.
Clinical Audit Units:
Clinical audit units to be established in all the hospitals
and at divisional levels to strengthen routine assessment
of adherence to set standards.
Board of Health:
The Gambia Board of Health to be established by an Act
of Parliament and to comprise of representatives of
the Councils, Clinical Audit Units, policy makers of
Health and to include other experienced health professionals
outside the Department of Health in Banjul.
The Board will have the following functions:
• To
review the health standards
• To monitor quality
of health services
• To certify health facilities
for service delivery |
