The Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene received two containers of medical equipment on Monday, March 9th, donated by the NGO Al Ataa Senegal, in partnership with the US-based organization Baitumaal. The official handover ceremony took place at the ministry, marking the beginning of a partnership aimed at strengthening the Senegalese healthcare system.

According to Ibrahim Rouchdi, director general of the NGO Al Ataa Senegal, this initiative is part of a health solidarity program aimed at supporting the country's medical facilities.

“Today, we presented this medical aid under the direction of the Ministry of Health of Senegal. There are three containers in total: two for Senegal and one for Gambia. Each container costs approximately 200 million CFA francs,” he explained.

He also praised the commitment of the Baitumaal organization, a strategic partner in the project, for this important donation aimed at improving medical capabilities in the sub-region.

The head of the NGO also expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Health for the logistical and administrative support that facilitated the delivery of the equipment.

"The ministry helped us a lot, especially with travel, customs formalities and taxes," he stressed.

Equipment intended for hospitals and health centers

For her part, Ndella Dia, project supervisor at the NGO Al Ataa Senegal, specified that the containers contain a large quantity of medical equipment and consumables intended mainly for surgical activities.

"These containers include numerous surgical kits that will be able to support several hospitals. We also have equipment for cesarean sections, child care and pediatrics," she said.

She added that this equipment covers several medical branches and should help improve intervention capacities in the country's health facilities.

The NGO hopes to continue this type of initiative in the future in order to further strengthen the Senegalese health system.

"We hope that this project will be a success and that it will lead to the development of other similar collaborations for the benefit of Senegal," she said.

The government welcomed this support.

Presiding over the ceremony, the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, Ibrahima Sy, welcomed this gesture, which he described as important support for the health sector.

"On behalf of the Government of Senegal, I would like to thank the NGO Al Ataa and its partner Baitumaal for this extremely important support for our health system," he said.

The minister recalled that this collaboration is not new and that it has aimed for several years to strengthen the medical technical platform of the country's health facilities.

According to Dr. Ibrahima Sy, this equipment arrives at an opportune time as some hospital facilities are facing a shortage of equipment.

"We have many hospitals and health centers that lack medical equipment. This equipment therefore comes as a supplement, particularly for surgical activities, gynecology and pediatrics," he stressed.

Ready-to-use equipment

The minister also reassured everyone about the ability of healthcare personnel to use this equipment.

"Health workers in Senegal are very well trained and used to this type of equipment. These are ready-to-use kits that can be easily used in the beneficiary facilities," he explained.

This equipment will be distributed primarily to hospitals and health centers with operating rooms for surgical, obstetric, and pediatric procedures. Some may also be allocated to certain health posts as needed.

Towards a strengthening of the partnership

Beyond this donation, the Ministry of Health plans to strengthen its collaboration with the NGO Al Ataa and its international partners.

"We are currently working on a roadmap and an action plan to further structure this partnership around strengthening the medical technical platform and the health system," said Ibrahima Sy.