Contact Details:
Main Office
address
DOSH
Website:
www.dosh.gm
The Quadrangle
Banjul
The Gambia
West Africa
Telephone no:
4227605
4228291
4201341
4223263
Fax:
4223178
Directorate of Planning & Information
Telephone: 4225 712
4225 379
Fax:
4225 873
4223178
Email: dpi@dosh.gm
Social Welfare Department
Marina
Parade, Banjul
4224681
4228843
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Background Information:
The public
health service delivery system in The Gambia is three tiered, based on
the primary health care strategy.
Goals:
Provision of quality health care services within an enabling
environment, delivered by appropriately and adequately trained,
skilled and motivated personnel at all levels of care with the
involvement of all stakeholders to ensure a healthy
population.
Management & Organisation:
Management of resources for health care, both human, financial and
material, still remains centralised at the health headquarters.
Divisional health systems are weak with no clear operational linkages
with the central level, the community and the other providers in the
private and traditional healing systems.
There is need for improving efficiency and effectiveness in the
organisation and management of the health sector through (a)
Management reform (b) creation of popular structures (i.e. Hospital
board and local public Health committees ) for re-enforcing community
participation in decision making, and (c) devolution of
responsibilities, authority and resources to the Hospital and
Divisional Health Management Teams and village development committee.
Linkages between and functions of all the management structures should
be clearly defined to ensure harmony, promote self-management
(autonomy) and re-enforce the decentralisation process.
To ensure client satisfaction a quality assurance system will be
developed. The following structures will be developed to monitor
service delivery in order to maintain quality and standards in health
care.
Medical & Dental Council:
This will be re-organised and strengthened to better monitor:
- Registration of medical and dental officers
- Medical and dental practice
- Training of medical officers (Provide guidelines for training)
Nurses and Midwives Council:
This will be re-organised and strengthened to better monitor:
- Registration of nurses and midwives
- Nursing practice
Pharmacy Council:
This will be established to monitor:
- Registration of pharmacists
- Pharmacy practice
Provision would be made for the establishment of other regulatory
bodies e.g. Medical Laboratory Technologist/Scientist Council
Clinical Audit Units:
Clinical audit units to be established in all the hospitals and at
divisional levels to strengthen routine assessment of adherence to set
standards.
Board of Health:
The Gambia Board of Health to be established by an Act of Parliament
and to comprise of representatives of the Councils, Clinical Audit
Units, policy makers of Health and to include other experienced health
professionals outside the Department of Health.
The Board will have the following functions:
- To review the health standards
- To monitor quality of health services
- To certify health facilities for service delivery
From:
DOSH
(1992 & 1998 Poverty Report)
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