The plant, which is the first one of its kind for hospitals in The Gambia, will meet the daily oxygen needs of the hospital with its daily oxygen generation capacity of 100 cylinders.
The opening ceremony held for the plant at Ndemban Hospital in the coastal town of Bakau, 16km outside the capital Banjul was attended by Health minister Dr. Amadou Samateh, Tolga Bermek, Türkiye’s ambassador to The Gambia, and Şule Bayar, TİKA’s country coordinator.
No sojourns abroad for treatment
In his speech at the ceremony, Dr. Amadou Samateh thanked Türkiye and TİKA and stated that they would previously meet the oxygen needs of public hospitals by purchasing oxygen from private companies at a high cost.
Minister Samateh noted that the plant will help solve the oxygen shortage in the country and that patients will no longer need to travel to other countries for treatment.
Ambassador Tolga Bermek stated that the relations between The Gambia and Türkiye are getting stronger and that his country is implementing projects in every field through TİKA.
Bermek referred to Türkiye’s great support for The Gambia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and stressed the importance of the new oxygen generation plant for the health sector.
Şule Bayar, TİKA’s Coordinator in the Gambia, noted that they were happy to share Türkiye’s technology and experience with Gambia’s health sector through TİKA.
The Gambian health ministry procures oxygen from abroad at a very high cost, since public hospitals in the Gambia do not have an adequate supply to meet the needs of patients.
The plant built by TİKA will save lives by generating oxygen, which is critical in health services, in an economical and sustainable manner.
(APA)
