The University of The Gambia Medical Students Association (UNIGAMSA) Wednesday held its scientific forum at the School of Nursing Auditorium in Banjul.

Speaking at the occasion, Momodou K. Touray, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology said their role in the Ministry and the lecturers at the University of The Gambia (UTG) is to partake in research activities. He stated that research is very crucial and that they are poised to create a critical mass of young doctors who will contribute immensely in the improvement of the health sector.

He observed that research activities are constrained by inadequate resources, lack of confidence to the researchers due to ignorance and conservation, ineffective time management of researches among others. According to him, the benefits that can be derived from research activities include building a culture of research among students; monitoring the university’s research profits; maximising external research funding; building the university research reputation serving as a vehicle for engaging with other research institutions world wide and enhance inter-disciplinary and multi-relationships; sharpening of students stalls and competences and also to enriching students individuals profiles.

For his part, Ousman Jarjue, the president of UNIGAMSA thanked the judges and expressed sincere appreciation to Standard Chartered Bank for sponsoring this year’s medical student’s scientific forum. He called on the students to participate in such fora because enables them to learn new things.

Ousman said their aim of organising the session was to create additional learning avenues for medical students and also to extend the good work that the medical school is doing by sharing research works and other medical information to the general students membership and the public at large. He further urged the medical students to always mobilise themselves towards attending such fora and try to be punctual and regular in attending the association’s functions.

Jarjue thanked His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya AJJ Jammeh for establishing and sustaining the medical school and RVTH.
For his part, Dr. Adama Sallah said that the World Health Report 2006 identified the threshold in the work force density below which it is very unlikely to achieve high coverage of essential interventions, including those necessary to meet the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). According to him, 57 countries currently have a critical shortage of human resources for health, equivalent to a global deficit of 2.4 million doctors, nurses and midwives while proportional shortfall is greatest in sub-Saharan Africa.

He added that the Global Health Workforce Alliance created in 2006 is a common platform for action to address the crisis. Sallah noted the significant achievements in building global awareness about the HRH crisis and the need for action have. According to him, there is a need to have a coordination mechanism that brings together all stakeholders working in HRH.

He disclosed that such mechanisms do have some constraints of not including all relevant stakeholders and sometimes these mechanisms don’t function well due to poor attendance at meetings by stakeholders, inadequate consultation among stakeholders and infrequent meetings to name a few.

Standard Chartered Bank made a presentation on people living with HIV/AIDS and the medical students also presented their scientific paper to the judges. Certificates of participation and appreciation were presented to the participants and the organising committee.