The Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, has defended the government’s investment in public healthcare, insisting that medical services in The Gambia remain heavily subsidized despite recent adjustments to hospital fees.
Speaking at the annual Mansakunda Town Hall Conference on Friday, Dr. Samateh responded to public concerns over rising healthcare costs, arguing that the country’s healthcare system continues to offer some of the most affordable services in the region.
According to the minister, the relatively low cost of healthcare in The Gambia attracts patients from neighboring Senegal, particularly in border communities such as Essau. He said the trend extends across several regions of the country, including Soma, Bansang, Basse, Sabi and Koina.
“Why do people come here? Because it is much, much cheaper,” Dr. Samateh told participants at the conference.
Drawing from his experience as a medical student and young doctor in Nigeria, the minister contrasted The Gambia’s healthcare model with what he described as “cash-and-carry” systems still found in parts of West Africa.
He recalled situations where patients’ families were required to purchase basic medical supplies, including syringes, cotton wool, saline fluids and cannulas, before treatment could begin.
“We certainly don’t want Gambia to ever reach that level,” he said, emphasizing the government’s commitment to protecting vulnerable citizens from excessive healthcare costs.
Dr. Samateh said President Adama Barrow’s administration remains focused on ensuring that public policies do not place an undue burden on ordinary Gambians. However, he acknowledged that maintaining completely free healthcare or keeping fees unchanged indefinitely is not sustainable given the country’s limited resources.
The minister urged critics to consider the actual cost of delivering medical services, including surgical consumables, anesthetic drugs, antibiotics and other operational expenses.
“Government is doing quite a lot,” he said, stressing that patients continue to pay only a fraction of the true cost of their care, even after the latest fee adjustments.
His remarks come amid ongoing public debate over healthcare affordability and the sustainability of government subsidies in the sector.
