The American International University (AIU) has offered a two-year free nursing anesthetics training course to 19 Gambian nurses from different hospitals in the country. The university is also offering training for nine laboratory staff.

Dinesh Shukla, president of the AIU told journalists at a press conference Friday that the university is trying to build-up the capacity of health professionals in The Gambia so that they can effectively carry out their functions. He explained that the AIU decided to offer the course to Gambian nurses with the aim of improving their capacities for an effective delivery in their areas. “We really want to make impact on the lives of Gambian people now,” Shukla said.

He further stated that there is a need to improve the medical technical capacity of doctors, nurses and other areas, adding that his university is ready to collaborate with the Gambia government on those areas. He then acknowledged the tremendous support the government of The Gambia has been giving to his university since it started operations in the country. He said that once they start operations, 10 per cent of the enrolment seats in AIU will be given to Gambian students with 100% free tuition for the duration of their studies.

Mbisin O Jah, head of the Gynea clinic cervical cancer screaning unit at the Royal Victorial Teaching Hospital (RVTH) and one of the students currently undergoing the course, expressed appreciation to the university and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for according her the opportunity to be part of the course. She said nursing is diverse and a very crucial area in the health sector, and that they are the ones who decide whether a patient is fit for surgery or not. Muhammed Sallah, a registered nurse at the accident and emergency unit at the Farafenni hospital who is also part of the course expressed hope that their capacities will be well enhanced at the end of the two-year course.

Background
AIU which started operations in the country after signing a memorandum of understanding with the government last September, is working in cordial relationship with the University of The Gambia (UTG) in which both sides will be benefiting from each other's resources and facilities, with AIU's visiting professors rendering lectures at the UTG.

Lansana Conteh, the late president of Guinea formally laid the foundation stone of the AIU in 1998 in Conakry, with the institution starting as a hospital with the name 'International Medical Centre'. However, due to the political instability that rocked the country last year, the management of the university decided to establish a new unit in The Gambia.