Marakissa

Medical work in The Gambia is centred around Marakissa. Various clinics served from there are described on our Medical link. Also mentioned is the dental work that ran briefly in 1994.

Purpose Built clinic

In the year 2000 a sum of £2,500 provided by the World Council of Churches and a grant of £10,000 from the World Church Office enabled plans for the building of a purpose built Dental Clinic.

Others, in the Gambia and in the U.K., also worked to ensure that the Clinic became a reality, including Bill Lindop of Trinity Methodist Church Woking, who raised funds and liaised with Dentaid, an English based charity which provided the necessary equipment for one surgery.

Grand opening – March 2006

There was a great sense of achievement when eventually the Clinic was opened by the Secretary of State for Communication, Information and Technology - the Hon Neneh Macdouall Gaye, who represented the Vice-President of The Gambia, Her Excellency The Hon Dr. Aja Isatou Njie Saidy, performed the opening ceremony and said

'the Government is aware of the Methodist contribution to the social needs and welfare of the community and I congratulate you for the continuing effort of the Methodist People in The Gambia in the areas of Education, Agriculture and Medical Work'.

Professor Corrah, Director of the Medical Research Centre and Chairman of the Methodist Medical Board outlined the history of the clinics, which had now expanded with the opening of this much needed Dental Clinic, where Graham Tasker, a retired dentist from England, offered to give his services voluntarily.

Regular workload

Now there are a regular 25 - 30 patients each time the surgery is open - which some weeks is just on two half days - and there would be so many more patients benefiting if the services were provided every day. There is an urgent need to find at least one more dentist and if there is any dentist in Britain who would be able to offer his or her professional expertise for a period of two weeks or more, they could enjoy a holiday at the same time as serving the church and the community in the Gambia. Maybe there is a newly qualified dentist who would like to gain experience and serve for six months or a year in Africa. The Methodist Medical Board would be delighted to host them.