The Francis Degaulle Njie Foundation's (FDNF) refurbished Cervical Cancer Screening Unit was inaugurated yesterday at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) in Banjul. The inauguration,  was  graced by the WHO country representative, Dr. Thomas Sukwa  and other important  dignitaries.

The inauguration coincided with the awarding of certificates to 35 midwives and nurses who were trained on cervical cancer screening and detection by the foundation in 2008.The foundation was established in 2006 by family members and friends of the late Degaulle Njie, in recognition of   the   excellent values he stood for and the dedicated  service he rendered to society throughout his short but exemplary life until he passed away  on 22nd May 2005.The foundation aims at providing support to gifted science students in The Gambia,  support the health sector and increase  awareness in The Gambia on brain tumours and other  related diseases such as cancer.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Emmanuel Bamgbelu on behalf of the chief medical director of the RVTH said that since RVTH is the last point of call for referral cases in the country, there is the need to modernise the hospital for an effective health service delivery. He therefore expressed gratitude to the institutions that have contributed to the upgrading of the hospital. He on behalf of the staff of RVTH thanked the Francis Degaulle Njie Foundation for the foresight and described the initiative as timely taking into consideration the number of people who have lost their lives due to cancer and other related killer diseases that require a lot of money to seek medical attention.
 
Dr. Bamgbelu thanked the foundation for the initiative describing their mission as a noble one. He finally paid tribute to the late Francis Degaulle Njie.For her part, Vivat Thomas-Njie, chairperson of the foundation, disclosed that, the foundation was launched some four years ago by the family members and friends in order to keep his [Degaulle Njie's] memory alive. She added that, the foundation is a charitable organisation working in the area of health and education.

According to her, they intend to support the education sector by sponsoring students as well as give support in the health sector He cited the inauguration of the cancer-screening unit as a testimony  of the noble intentions of the  foundation.She indicated that,the foundation since its inception has achieved a lot and assured  them of the foundation's unrelenting commitment to achieving their mission, adding that in 2007 and 2008, the foundation embarked on a cancer sensitisation campaign in order to keep the people aware of the disease.
 
She added that, the unit will help in the training of nurses to better utilise their skills while assuring them of the foundation's continued support in the prevention and eradication of cancer.Mam Marie Jagne, chief matron at RVTH described cancer as the fifth most common disease in women worldwide with approximately 471, 000 new cases diagnosed each year.
 
According to her, thousands of new cancer cases are been reported globally annually, with low and middle  income countries registering the highest incidents of the disease. She revealed that, thousands of women lose their lives annually due to the disease across the globe. She informed the gathering that she was delighted that, less cancer deaths are occurring each year now thanks to  increased awareness and simple procedures such as pelvic exams and pap smears.

The RVTH's chief matron finally thanked the foundation for their generosity.Delivering the vote of thanks, Mbissin O. Jah, an ex-participant of the training in 2008 thanked the foundation for equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills.  She also thanked all those who in diverse ways  have contributed in  making the  training a success.