The Taiwan ICDF Mobile Medical Team arrived in Banjul on Sunday to carry-out a wide range of medical operations, including specialist cases in the country. This is the second visit of the team to Banjul.

Under the auspices of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) of Taiwan, the 11-member medical team comprises a surgeon, specialists in infections and family medicine, a specialist in emergency medicine, a dentist, a pharmacist, a paediatrician, two nurses and an assistant coordinator.

During the course of their two-week working visit, the mobile team will provide free medical treatment to patients at Sulayman Junkung Hospital in Bwiam and AFPRC Hospital in Farafenni, according to Mr Lu, first secretary at the Taiwanese Embassy, who received the delegation on behalf of Ambassador Patrick Chang.

Speaking in an interview with the Daily Observer at a dinner organised in their honour, Dr Jeffery Chih-Fu Chen, division chief of Technical Cooperation, Department of ICDF, said their treatment programme is targeted at areas in the interior of the country, where it is difficult for people to access specialised medical services.

"We will do our best to treat people," Dr Chen assured.

Sulayman Samba, permanent secretary at the Department of State for Health and Social Welfare, who deputised for the secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare, said all the arrangements have been finalised to facilitate the operation of the group, noting that the government has provided lodging for the visiting Taiwanese medical practitioners. PS Samba expressed hope that the mobile mission metamorphoses into a permanent mission rather than a periodical one.

Dr Adama Sallah, chairman of the Management Board of RVTH, also attended the dinner alongside staff of the Taiwanese Embassy.