By Ramatoulie Jawo
Hon. Hamat NK Bah, the Minister of Land, Regional Government, and Lands Affairs, has provided an update to the National Assembly Select Committee on Regional Government, Lands, the Ombudsman, and the IEC regarding preparations for the 2025 Hajj.
Accompanied by members of the Hajj Commission, the minister appeared before the committee to outline the progress of the Hajj preparations.
Speaking to the committee, the minister emphasized that the responsibility for medical services should lie fully with the commission. He stated that it is the Gambian government’s duty to care for its citizens during the Hajj, not the responsibility of the agents.
He highlighted the importance of ensuring that the medical services, including drugs and doctors, meet government standards, emphasizing that it is essential for the government to oversee the process.
“It should not be up to individuals to provide medicines or doctors for the pilgrims. This is the government’s responsibility,” he stressed.
The minister also urged the Hajj Commission to develop a plan to ensure proper coordination and control over medical services for Gambian pilgrims.
“We have asked the ministry of health to give us the number of doctors that are required, which they have indicated. So the commission will carry some and GIA being the government agencies will also carry some,” he said.
He emphasized that they cannot permit every agency to bring a doctor, as it would be too costly and unnecessary.
He explained that the government will purchase drugs through the agencies, which will be responsible for taking care of their people.
Additionally, he informed the National Assembly members that he had met with the Saudi minister. During their meeting, he requested assistance with materials to train their people on how to use the restroom facilities, as the hotel requires proper guidance on using its modern toilets and amenities.
He further stated that the commission was expected to work with the agencies to support this training. However, he stressed that the responsibility should ultimately lie with the commission, as they cannot allow agencies to bear this burden without ensuring the training meets the required standards.“We will have a standard training that will be used for them to train all the pilgrims how to use the toilets and the facilities of the hotel,” he told the committee.