The newly inaugurated maternity theatre at Brikamaba Major Health Centre is expected to reduce referrals for emergency caesarean sections to Bansang and the Greater Banjul Area, bringing critical maternal healthcare services closer to communities in the region.

Minister of Health Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh said the facility would enable pregnant women requiring surgical intervention to receive treatment locally, improving access to timely care and reducing the need to travel long distances during medical emergencies.

Speaking during an interview at the health centre, Dr Samateh described the maternity theatre and other upgrades as a major development for healthcare delivery in the area and the country at large.

He said the government, under President Adama Barrow, had worked with partners to expand and modernise the facility, with the aim of making it a more comprehensive centre for treating patients, particularly pregnant women.

“This is a game changer when it comes to health care service provision for this part of the country and for the entire country,” he said.

The minister explained that women requiring caesarean sections to save their lives or those of their babies would now be able to access the procedure at Brikamaba, rather than being referred to Bansang or Kombo.

He stressed that timely intervention was critical in medical and surgical emergencies, adding that providing services closer to communities could help patients receive the care they need without unnecessary delays.

Beyond the maternity theatre, Dr Samateh said the health centre had undergone wider renovation and modernisation, including improvements to its clinical areas, antenatal and postnatal wards.

Staff accommodation has also been upgraded, while new apartments have been constructed to provide better living conditions for health workers serving at the facility.

According to the minister, the accommodation will also support visiting health workers and doctors undertaking practical training in rural areas.

He said the government planned to incorporate provincial postings into its postgraduate medical training programme, allowing doctors to gain experience in rural health facilities as part of their specialisation.

The new accommodation, he added, would help make those placements possible while supporting the delivery of healthcare services outside the country’s main urban centres.

By Adama Makasuba