By: Seringe ST Touray
During an interview underscoring the successes and challenges faced by Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), the hospital’s renowned Syrian-born Chief Medical Director, Doctor Ammar Al Jafari, delineated the impressive technologies wielded by his institution to take on some of the most prevalent medical concerns in The Gambia. During our exclusive interview, The Fatu Network was given a tour of the premises, including its medical scanners in diagnostic imaging (incl. MRI), electrocardiogram (ECG), dialysis machines, and more.
When pressed on factors contributing to a negative perception of the hospital’s mortality rate, Dr. Ammar debunked this perception, instead attributing a vast majority of patient deaths to private hospitals and clinics holding onto critically-ill patients longer than necessary, then referring these patients to EFSTH when it is too late in order to avoid having these mortalities on their records. “90% of cases of mortality are from referral hospitals,” Dr. Ammar clarified. Many of these patients, according to Dr. Ammar, should have been referred much earlier, and not when the patients’ chances are slim to none.
Consequently, Dr. Ammar raised a public warning to patients and families of patients who in many cases opt for some private hospitals or clinics primarily due to the comfort and convenience of having a private room in a more exclusive setting, rather than checking into a more sophisticated hospital like EFSTH, where medical facilities are more advanced.
Tune in to The Fatu Network for our exclusive interview with Dr. Ammar Al Jafari on Tuesday at 20:00pm GMT, and for an in-depth review of the progress made at EFSTH, including its plans to become one of the best medical facilities in West Africa in the coming years.
