The minister of Health and Social Welfare, who is also responsible for National Assembly Matters, together with senior management team of the Health Ministry, Wednesday concluded a six-day nationwide tour of health facilities, which took him from Banjul to Koina.

The tour availed Minister Bala Garba Jahumpa and delegation the opportunity to visit 59 health facilities, including both major, minor and some private health facilities.

Speaking to the Daily Observer at the end of the tour, the Health minister explained that the first leg of the tour enabled him to go round the country and gather firsthand information on the status of the health facilities and address instantly some of the problems confronting the health facilities.

He said that the second part of the tour also enabled him to make an assessment of all the health facilities around the country, adding that most of the facilities visited were in need of oxygen concentrators, autoclave, oxygen cylinders, sock son machines, and furniture among others. He promised that all these concerns will be submitted to the highest authorities for urgent action to be taken.

Minister Jahumpa said that he observed that there is high community ownership in some of the health facilities, like the newly established health facility in Dongoroba in the Lower River Region, Garawol in the Upper River Region and Njaba Kunda in the North Bank Region.

He said Gamworks will also visit all the health facilities in the country to access them, adding that some of them need general refurbishment. He thanked the health workers for the good work they are rendering at their various facilities. He also commended President Jammeh for making health a priority of his government, saying that remarkable achievements have been registered in the area of health service delivery in the country since 1994.