India’s leading specialty hospital, BLK Super Speciality Hospital, and The Gambia’s Health Ministry have signed a memorandum of understanding. The development, a significant step forward in Indo-African collaboration in the healthcare sector, will lead to transfer of knowledge and skills as well as build capacity for The Gambia.
“Encouraged by call of the Indian Prime Minister to strengthen bonds between India and African countries, we are happy to join this agreement with The Gambia,” said Abhay Soi, Chairman & Managing Director, Radiant Lifecare Pvt Ltd, the company which owns and operates BLK Super Speciality Hospital.
In a statement, Soi said “the intended partnership aims to use our Hospital’s expertise to help Gambia’s Ministry of Health build its own capacities across specialities as well as train its health professionals, enabling the Ministry to provide tertiary healthcare services to people of The Gambia and the West African community.”
Under the MoU, doctors and technical experts from BLK Super Speciality shall visit Hospitals run by the Ministry to evaluate their existing facilities and help identify their gaps and requirements. Subsequently, BLK Super Speciality Hospital will also explore setting up Centres for Excellence for certain specialities in Hospitals selected by the Ministry. Doctors from New Delhi will also periodically provide training to medical fraternity in The Gambia to help them keep abreast with latest advances and scale up their capacities in cardiac sciences, renal transplants, laproscopic surgeries, oncology, and plastic/cosmetic and maxillofacial surgeries.
“We are extremely delighted at this partnership as it opens up new opportunities for our doctors and gives access to world-class healthcare facilities for people of the Gambia. Among others, we shall list BLK Super Speciality Hospital as one of the approved overseas healthcare centers and shall provide full cooperation to the visiting experts and doctors,” said Omar Sey, The Gambia’s Minister of Health & Social Welfare.
Through this agreement, BLK Super Speciality Hospital shall provide all technical and procedural assistance to the Ministry including equipment planning & purchase, pharmaceutical supply chain management and procurement of drugs from India. “We are also committed to provide telemedicine facilities at Gambian hospitals and extend benefits of our high-end medical capabilities to the citizens of Gambia,” said Naresh Kapoor, Executive Director, BLK Super Speciality Hospital.
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