The Indian Community in The Gambia has boosted the national preparedness strategy against the deadly Ebola disease with a donation of D865, 000 to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The presentation was held on Monday at the conference room of the Health Ministry conference at Quadrangle, Banjul.
Speaking at the occasion, the Health and Social Welfare minister, Omar Sey, thanked the Community for its intervention, and assured that it will help in no small measure in keeping the highly contagious disease at bay.
“The Indian Community is the first of its kind to support The Gambia government in its bid to preventing the spread of Ebola to the country,” the minister acknowledged. “Apart from the president of the Republic, Ministry of Tourism, WHO, the Indian Community is the latest to support the Ministry,” he added.
The permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Mackie Taal, said the current Ebola plague is not only deadly but also proving difficult to contain.
He said the push towards making The Gambia an Ebola-free nation is not the fight of the government only, but the business of everybody. “If Ebola gets into any country, it affects businesses, the economy of the country and the human population. What we are seeing now in terms of economic losses is huge and that’s why we want it to be contained as soon as possible,” he said.
Taal said the Ministry is doing everything possible to assure the world that The Gambia is Ebola-free and that they will maintain that status quo so that nothing negative happens in the country.
The head of the Indian Community in the country, Suresh Wadhwanl, affirmed that the token is meant to support government in its strive to stop the spread of the disease to the country. He underscored awareness creation as key to containing the disease.
O behalf of the Indian Community, he thanked the president of the Republic for creating the enabling environment for them to operate and feel at home.
