By Ramatoulie Jawo
The National Pharmaceutical Services of The Gambia on Tuesday validated the country’s Medicine Policy 2022-2025.
The Minister of Health, Director of National Pharmaceutical Service, World Health Organisation country representative in The Gambia, among others, attended the event.
In his opening remarks, Dr Amadou Lamin Samateh, Minister of Health said the policy would serve as a guide for the delivery of the health care services in the country.
“This will provide a new direction for the health sector development. It will also serve as a basis for driving health sector priorities and planning as a good resource allocation process and all other health related policies will be anchored on this,” he said.
He further said the policy is expected to reform the health system by addressing the major traditional problems of health, the new emerging health challenges and putting in place measures to respond to emergencies.
“This policy came at a time when the world was battling with a pandemic and that it gave them a unique opportunity to incorporate pandemic related policy and vision statements,” Dr. Samateh said.
Babading Sabally, Director of National Pharmaceutical Service said access to health is a fundamental human right that can’t be fulfilled in the absence of medical items which his department is “working hard” to make available in the country.
WHO country representative, Dr Desta Tiruneh expressed hope that by the end of the validation, a strategic plan would be in place for the implementation of the new policy for the betterment of the entire health care system in The Gambia.
At a day’s workshop, The Gambia’s Ministry of Health carried out the validation with the support of its partners at a local hotel in Kololi.
The ministry in December 2021 validated the national health policy 2021-2030, following the expiration of the 2012-2020 policy.