By: Dawda Baldeh
Ebrima Gibba, the Founder and CEO of As-Shifa Healthcare Solution, a nonprofitable organization, told The Fatu Network that the foundation’s objective is to help local patients who are given recommendations for overseas treatment to access reputable hospitals in foreign countries.
Speaking to our reporter in an exclusive interview, Gibba said the foundation is established to bridge the gap between local patients within the Gambia and the subregion getting treatment in reputable hospitals in countries like India, Turkey, and Egypt.
“We are here to help patients to have access to reputable hospitals overseas for their medical treatment.
“If a patient is recommended to go for oversea treatment, we will intervene and help them to get the hospital because many don’t know how to access those hospitals in foreign countries,” Gibba said.
Mr. Gibba stressed that the foundation’s main purpose is to help patients to get treatment without delay.
“We normally go to the hospitals and find patients who need overseas treatment, we will collect their medical information and send it to our partners’ hospitals.
The hospital will send us a medical treatment bill. If the patient or his family are wealthy and they can pay the bill, we will only help to bargain with the hospital for them. We don’t ask them to pay anything,” he explained.
The foundation’s CEO added that they also help patients with visa application processes which are also free, and through their intervention, the patient can get a visa within 72 hrs.
“India is a country with very good hospitals, and we have helped a lot of patients to go there and get the necessary treatment.
“Some we assist them to go to Turkey or Egypt,” Gibba told The Fatu Network.
He further mentioned that if a patient is recommended for overseas treatment and cannot afford the cost, his foundation will intervene and mobilize funds for their treatment, which includes travel, accommodation, and feeding costs.
“So, if we mobilize the required amount of money then we will help the family to work on their visas.
“We will send 75% of the funds mobilized to the hospital’s bank account which will be confirmed with a receipt that the family will travel with.
“The remaining money will be given to the family, and they will be picked by our partners in the countries they are travelling to.
“But 5% of the funds we mobilized will be paid to As-Shifa Healthcare Solution,” he explained.
Mr. Gibba said they will do everything possible to make sure patients and their families are comfortable during their stay for the treatment period without running out of cash.
“Health is a very crucial part of our lives, and we need to intervene.
“We want to explore the US and the UK but due to people’s ambitions towards those countries is difficult because some will be absconding and we have to provide escorts,” he emphasized.
The As-Shifa Healthcare Solution is located in Westfield next to Family Planning.
