By Omar Wally
Earlier this week, The Police Public Relations Office launched an appeal on the media to help identify an unknown accident victim who was in coma and admitted at the Serrekunda General Hospital.
The victim, who is a teenage girl, was knocked down by a vehicle in Kotu at around midnight of December 15 and was rushed to the Serrekunda General Hospital.
The appeal yielded dividend when a relative of the victim recognized her, called the police and identified the victim as a cousin who recently traveled from Ziguinchor, Senegal to visit her relatives in The Gambia. The victim is now recovering from coma and is responding positively to treatment.
On Wednesday, December 13, the Police Public Relations Officer Superintendent David Kujabi, accompanied by the Kanifing Region Police Gender and Child Protection Officer Chief Superintendent Yamundow Jagne along with relatives of both the victim and the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident, visited the Serrekunda General Hospital to assess the progress of the victim.
The team was received by Mr. Kebba Manneh CEO of the hospital, Mr. Baboucarr Saine the Administration Officer and Mr. Alieu D Badjie, the PRO of the hospital.
During a brief meeting, the Police PRO commended the efforts of the hospital staff for the quick response and the professional manner in which they attended to the victim. He noted that when the victim was rushed to the hospital, they wasted no time in giving her the necessary attention and that obviously led to her being alive and responding to treatment.
PRO Kujabi also commended the driver of the vehicle for not abandoning the victim and driving off but instead sought police help and drove her to the hospital. He described him as a gentleman whose actions should be emulated by all.
In his remarks, Mr. Saine expressed pride in the success gained from the cooperation and swift actions taken by both the police and hospital staff. He explained that when the victim was brought in, they realized that she was in critical condition and they needed to act fast in order to save her life.
He noted that owing to the gravity of the victim’s condition, he took the bold step of signing the exemption form for a payment of D2,000 (two thousand dalasi) before a CT scan can be carried out. He expressed joy in the way the Doctor and the nurses handled the victim but lamented over the derogatory comments people made on social media claiming that it was wrong to place the victim on a mattress on the floor.
He explained that the victim suffered inflammation of the brain which made her restless and in order to avoid her falling off a bed and causing more injuries, they felt it proper to lay her on mattress on the floor.
Amie Camara an aunt to the victim commended the driver for his bravery in doing his best to safe the child and thanked the police and hospital staff for a job well done. She attested to the fact that when she arrived at the hospital, she found that the nurses had bathed and fed the victim.
She also thanked the family of the driver whose parents and family were at the hospital attending to the victim while the police searched for the relatives of the victim.
For his part, Mr. Manneh CEO of the hospital said that as public servants, all sectors need to collaborate so as to ensure quality in service delivery. He hailed the success gained in this case and urged all to learn from it. He concluded by stating that the hospital management is committed to providing quality health care service to all.
