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The aim of the study was to assess the satisfaction of patients about the services provided at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) in the Gambia. A cross-sectional study design was used to evaluate how the patients view the healthcare services provided at the EFSTH. The main research question is “what is the satisfaction level of patients about the services provided at the EFSTH”. The SERVQUAL tool was used to collect data from a sample of 250 patients receiving care at the EFSTH. This sample was chosen using the systematic random sampling method. The variable of the study that were measured are satisfaction, expectations and perceptions of patients about the services they received. Data was collected from the outpatient and inpatient department of the hospital. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS statistical tool for descriptive statistics, mainly involving the percentages, and the results are presented in tables and charts.  The study found out that most of the patients have higher expectations and a low level of perception of the services provided at the EFSTH. There was a low level of patient satisfaction with the hospital services as only 36.8% of the patients strongly agree that they are satisfied with the hospital services provided. The findings also showed that most of the respondents regarded doctors’ services as the most important services provided at the hospital. There is only one service feature (housekeeping) with a positive quality gap score of 2.19667 indicating high quality of services and high patient satisfaction.There is a low level of patient’s satisfaction about the services provided at the EFSTH which is tied to a low level of service quality.

Maintenance haemodialysis is the most common form of renal replacement therapy treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of this, there is a general inadequacy for patients receiving this form of therapy due to lack of materials, human resources and funding from the governments. This form of treatment is relatively new in the Gambia compared to many West African countries, but there is also an enormous challenge on the part of the government to ensure that the citizens benefit from this form of therapy. Inadequate finances and human resources are making it difficult for the Gambia government to achieve this objective. It is therefore imperative for the state to invest more efforts on preventive strategies, which until today continue to remain inadequate.

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Background: The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that began in Wuhan, China rapidly became a public health concern and a challenge for healthcare systems globally.  In the wake of the first confirmed case in The Gambia, concerns were raised in some quarters about the health system's preparedness to handle the outbreak. Therefore, we aimed to assess health personnel's knowledge and preparedness in fighting the COVID-19 outbreak in The Gambia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using self-administered questionnaires distributed online through social media. Descriptive, bivariate, and binary logistic analyses were done using SPSS Version 22. Results: We obtained 333 valid responses. Most participants reported that their health facility has some form of preparedness; however, only a small proportion reported enough PPEs in the health facility. About half (50.5%) showed good knowledge of COVID-19. There was a statistically significant difference among the professions regarding their reaction if they were found positive of COVID-19 (p=0.006). There was a significant association between health professions [other professions (Odds ratio [OR]=0.2, 95% Confidence interval [CI]:0.04–0 .9; p=0.038)] and overall knowledge of COVID-19. Conclusion: Our findings showed some form of preparedness towards COVID-19 among healthcare workers. However, many aspects, such as the availability of PPEs and their proper use and knowledge, need improvement. Thus, training and an adequate supply of equipment are required to better respond to upcoming COVID-19 waves and future outbreaks. Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2021-03-SI-5 Full Text: PDF