The Trust Bank on Tuesday began distribution of medical items including second hand clothing, electrical materials, detergents and other materials worth D1.8 million as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility Policy.
These items are being distributed among selected hospitals across the country.
The first hospital to benefit from this magnanimous gesture was Tanta Tanka Psychiatric Hospital.
Presenting the items, Omar Mboob, deputy managing director of Trust Bank, described Tanka Tanka as one of Trust Bank's treasured partners, citing that the future of the country (youths) in their most productive years forms the large part of the country's population dealing with mental health issues.
He said when it comes to mental health, the greatest support and emotional scaffolding is loving, stable and caring environment which the hospital provides to its patients.
"We need to drive a fundamental culture shift in our society; a culture that has long neglected the mentally-ill in our society. This neglect must end if our nation is to live up to its standards of compassion, dignity and achieve the maximum use of its manpower."
"Our mental health services and systems may not be adequately resourced for the demand and requirement that is put before them; so we're calling on other partners to join in so that collectively we can build something that can give the vulnerable population the support they require to deal with their mental health challenges at an early stage."
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According to Mr. Mboob, Trust Bank's corporate social responsibility programme is grounded on the principle of sharing and caring. He revealed that during the bank's 25th anniversary celebration, the Bank's corporate social responsibility programme was a popular request from everyone inside the Trust Bank family.
From the Tanka Tanka hospital, the Trust Bank team moved to the Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital where Mr. Mboob said: "Our partnership with Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital is new, but we are confident that it is the first of many more to come."
He added that the bank's strategic objective is to complement governments' efforts in maternal health care. "We are aware that the government is committed to reducing our high maternal mortality rates and seeks to do so through collaborations and partnerships with all stakeholders," he noted.
According to the Trust Bank's deputy managing director, the bank is certainly committed to the cause and wants to ensure that Gambian mothers and sisters do not die while giving life, and also that our babies do not die at birth from preventable causes.
The selected hospitals to receive the medical and other items from the bank include Kanifing General Hospital, Farafenni General Hospital, Basse District Hospital, Bansang Hospital and Bwiam Hospital respectively.
