The Minister of Health on Monday said a portion of the World Bank 10 million dollar coronavirus grant will be used to build treatment centres across the country.

World Bank last week gave $10 millions to the Gambia government to help its fight the spread of the deadly coronavirus in the country. 

Dr Ahmadou Samateh told journalists at a press conference: “now as part of the World Bank support – World Bank is constructing for us what we called an emergency or infectious diseases treatment centres.”

According to Dr Samateh, the Ministry of Lands had already allocated a plot of land for one of the centres in Brusubi, a town in the outskirt of Gambia’s commercial city, Serrekunda.

“And initially because we want to do some of these first so that just in case there is increase in cases – so temporal structures will be built very soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Samateh said a portion of the fund will also be used for media sensitisation on coronavirus and procurement of sanitary materials, as well  as supporting the police in their patrol of the country’s borders.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba