By Abdou Mbye & Mariatou Ngum
His Excellency Mohammed B.S. Jallow, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia, on Wednesday, 8 July received in audience a delegation from the University of The Gambia Medical Students Associciation at his office at State House, Banjul, where discussions centred on strengthening healthcare education, expanding community outreach, and fostering greater government support for the country’s future healthcare professionals.
The delegation, led by the Association’s President, Mr. Jalamang Jammeh, paid a courtesy call on the Vice President to seek strategic collaboration with the Office of the Vice President in advancing the Association’s educational and community health initiatives.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr. Jammeh said the visit was driven by the Association’s desire to build a stronger partnership with government in areas that directly contribute to improving nursing education and healthcare service delivery.
“The purpose of our visit was to engage the Office of the Vice President on ways it can extend support to the work we do as an association. We discussed a number of areas where government assistance would greatly enhance our training and enable us to better serve communities across the country,” he said.
Among the key issues raised were support for student elective and exchange programmes, which the Association believes are essential for exposing nursing students to diverse clinical environments and improving their professional competence.
Mr. Jammeh also highlighted the Association’s commitment to community healthcare through regular outreach programmes, where student nurses work alongside healthcare professionals to conduct free screenings for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including hypertension and diabetes.
While describing the outreach initiatives as impactful, he noted that transportation, medical supplies and logistical constraints continue to limit the Association’s ability to reach more communities.
“Our outreach programmes provide essential health services to communities, but we face challenges with transportation, medications and other logistics. We appealed to the Vice President’s Office to support these initiatives so that we can continue serving the public more effectively,” he explained.
The Association further requested assistance with educational equipment, including a projector, to support teaching and learning activities.
According to Mr. Jammeh, Vice President Jallow responded positively to the delegation’s requests and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting initiatives that strengthen healthcare education and improve community wellbeing.
He disclosed that the Vice President assured the delegation that the Office would explore avenues to provide assistance where possible. Regarding transportation for outreach programmes, he advised the Association to formally engage the Chief of Staff on the possibility of logistical support, including the provision of a bus.
On the issue of medical supplies, the Vice President indicated that he would engage the Minister of Health to explore ways of providing medications to support the Association’s community outreach activities.
Recognising the importance of practical exposure for healthcare students, Vice President Jallow also pledged to engage both the Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology and the Minister of Health to explore opportunities for elective and exchange programmes that would broaden students’ clinical experience and professional development.
“The responses were very positive, Alhamdulillah,” Mr. Jammeh said. “The Vice President acknowledged the importance of our work and recognised that exposing nursing students to different learning environments is vital for building a stronger healthcare system. We are optimistic that today’s engagement will translate into meaningful support for our Association and the communities we serve.”
The audience underscored the Government’s continued commitment to engaging young professionals and supporting initiatives that contribute to national development, improved healthcare delivery and the training of a competent and resilient health workforce for The Gambia.