Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Gambia

Cuba sends 150 doctors

    ABIDJAN

    The Gambia has received 150 Cuban doctors to staff its greatly expanded health service, the state-owned newspaper, ‘The Gambia Daily’ has reported.

    The group, which arrived on 16 June, is the largest contingent of foreign doctors from any one country ever to serve the African nation. Their arrival followed a visit to Cuba in May by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh.

    Under an agreement reached between the two countries, the doctors will serve three-year terms, after a two-week orientation on the country’s health system and national treatment manual, the newspaper said.

    Quoting the permanent secretary in the Gambian Department of State for Health, Abdoulie Njie, the paper said 18 out of 20 Cuban doctors who arrived there three years ago would return to Cuba soon, at the end of their tour. Two have had their terms prolonged because of their expertise in specialised areas.

    Equipment and medicines for the newly built Farafenni General Hospital, 106 km east of Banjul, where some of the Cubans will work, is due for delivery at the end of June.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join