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Gambia: Healthcare System
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 The Republic
of the Gambia is situated in western Africa. The country is
bounded by Senegal on the North, East, and South, while the
Atlantic Ocean is on the West. The Gambia has a total land area of
11,000 square kilometers. The Gambia was a former British colony,
and the country gained its independence on February 1965. The
capital city of Gambia is Banjul, which is located on the Atlantic
coast.
The climate in the Gambia is sub-tropical. The country has two
distinct seasons, namely dry and rainy. The dry season is normally
from November to mid-May, with temperatures as low as 16°C. The
temperature for the rest of the year is hot and humid. Rainy
season is from June to October, temperatures may go as high as
43°C.
The Gambia is a popular holiday destination. The country has
stunning nature reserves; attractions include sandy beaches for
sun and surf, lush tropical forests, swamps, marshes and large
areas of wooded savannah. Gambia is considered as one of the best
locations in the world for bird watching, there are over 500
species to see. The Gambia is also a famous location for serving
as an emergency landing site for NASA Space shuttles.
The healthcare system in the Gambia is comprised of both public
and private sectors. The Government is the major healthcare
service provider in the Gambia. The Ministry of Health in the
Gambia is responsible for the public healthcare system in the
country. Its philosophy is to ensure that good quality and
affordable healthcare services are available and accessible to the
Gambian population.
The public healthcare system in the Gambia is divided into
primary, secondary and tertiary levels. The primary healthcare
system mostly focused on disease prevention. It is concentrated
mainly in rural areas and villages providing accessible healthcare
to the majority of the Gambian citizens. There are midwives and
traditional birth attendants in each village to provide their
services, and also a community health nurse to serve a group of
villages. The Government provides training to these nurses.
Secondary level of the healthcare system is delivered through
large and small health centres, where these facilities provide
outpatient and in-patient services. The larger health centers
normally run an operating theatre where they have the capability
to carry out simple surgeries.
At the tertiary level, health services are provided by referral
hospitals, the Medical Research Council (MRC), and a number of
private and non-governmental clinics and research centers. The
hospitals will generally run pharmacies, laboratory services and a
polyclinic, which provides secondary level healthcare services to
the cluster of people living nearby. These hospitals are staffed
with a group of specialists and nurses. According to the World
Health Organisation (WHO), in comparison to the rest of the
world’s healthcare systems, the Gambia ranked 146 out of 190
countries.
Medical facilities in the Gambia include health centers, clinics
and hospitals but they are very limited in the country. Private
clinics are available in the Gambia but patients are required to
pay for all services rendered.
Communicable and non-communicable diseases are high in the Gambia.
Water borne diseases and malaria are common in the country all
year round. HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is estimated at around 2%.
Travellers are advised to receive appropriate vaccinations prior
to travelling to the Gambia. If you are on prescription drugs, it
is recommended that you bring along an adequate quantity in a
clearly labelled container that would be enough to last the whole
of your stay in the Gambia.
The Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, more than
one third of the population lives below the poverty line. The
country depends heavily on foreign aid to finance its budget. The
total expenditure that the Government spent on healthcare in the
Gambia is around 6% of the country’s GDP.
One of the major issues within the Gambian healthcare system is
that there is a shortage of healthcare personnel across all
levels. Moreover, there is a lack of medical supplies in the
health sector and the medical equipment is typically out-dated.
There is an increase in demand in healthcare services, however the
amount of the Government budget allocated to healthcare is not
increasing proportionally with the rate of demand.
Given that the standard of the healthcare facilities in the Gambia
are nowhere near the standard of those in the western countries.
It is highly recommended that travellers or expats to purchase an
international travel policy or an expat medical insurance plan to
ensure that medical costs will be covered in the event of an
accident or illness while travelling to the Gambia. You may want
to choose a plan that includes medical transportation and
evacuation in case of emergency or serious illness, as these
services are very expensive.
Globalsurance is a one-stop insurance brokerage service provider
for you when travelling to the Gambia. We offer a wide range of
policies to meet your individual needs, including benefits such as
dental, maternity, inpatient, outpatient, specialist
consultations, and many others. We offer a large variety of
healthcare plans as well as travellers insurance plans. Contact
our professional advisers today to enjoy full insurance protection
such as an Expat Health Insurance Plan for yourself and your family.
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