Our Banjul sources have alerted us about “a looming trouble hanging over top senior officials of the State Department for Health.” While the department’s deputy Permanent Secretary Dawda Ceesay is reported to be in security custody, Permanent Secretary Dr. Makie Taal is said to be in a working visit to France. Dr Taal is unwilling to return home due to fears of being arrested or persecuted.
Kairo News is trying to piece together the veracity and circumstance surrounding the reasons for the officials’ trouble.
Kairo News sources added that the Health Minister Dr. Omar Sey has been spared the current trouble, although his ministry is grappling with budgetary constraints. Agriculture Ministry is also faced with budgetary problems.
Dawda Ceesay recently made healthlone touting The Gambia for making steady progress in the current epidemic preparedness and response on ebola whose virus kills a very high proportion of its victims within five to seven days.
“The virus is endemic in Central Africa, where it often causes fulminating haemorrhagic disease in humans. “Millions of people in the 15 Ecowas countries continue to be exposed to the risk of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever. The impact of these epidemic-prone diseases can be minimised by taking preventive measures and/or through strengthened surveillance and effective response. An epidemic in one country in our community can become a region-wide public health emergency. Epidemics such as Ebola require early warning and response mechanisms.”
Our sources describe Dr. Taal as a highly respected official who has not been given the free hands by Dictator Jammeh to carry out his job. Mr. Jammeh’s fallout with Taal has nothing to do with grants from World Health Organisation and Global fund, one source added. However, President Jammeh is reported to be planning to diverting these grants for his personal use eying those funds for his personal pocket rather than for health needs.
We will keep readers posted on any unfolding developments on the case.
Ends
MeTaal is in UK. He knows he is in trouble.