More good news from Jappineh Health Center
As we reported last month, the £4,000 raised in that campaign enabled the urgent purchase of new ultrasound screening and laboratory equipment, ensuring quick, cheap and accurate diagnosis, accessible for all the community.
Soon afterwards in January, a much-needed replacement ambulance arrived in a container from Germany at Banjul docks, and from there was delivered to the Health Center (having been carefully sourced to ensure as few computerised components as possible, to allow for local maintenance and repair).
This purchase had been made possible by a generous legacy from Mel Bixley, who sadly passed away recently. It was a donation from Mel and his wife Dee that enabled the purchase of the old ambulance – licence plate MEL1 – which had recently expired after 20 years of good service. So, it is fitting that the new vehicle carries a MEL2 licence plate. The ambulance has already been repainted and handed over, with Lady Kira and Kemo Bah attending the inauguration ceremony on behalf of the African Oyster Trust. The photos show the village chief speaking to a packed house!
The Health Center’s AGM was also held with a huge attendance from the community. The whole of the Trust’s Gambian Management Team attended – among those in the photographs is Fanding, Chairman of the Health Center committee; Ansumana, the Officer in charge; and Sainey Dampha, the auditor. Among the good news is that of the annual medication order – costing D700,000 or £9,000 – about half was covered by funds which the Health Center has managed to accrue once salaries, taxes and other day to day expenses are covered.
See below for a gallery of images from the arrival and celebration of the ambulance, plus a film of the event from Gambian television.
