About The Gambia

www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ga.html

The Gambia is located on the West Coast of Africa and covers an area of about 10,700 square Km and 24-50 Km wide. The official language of the country is English. The country is divided into 5 administrative divisions. Each division is divided into districts with a total of 46 rural districts and 2 urban municipalities. Districts are in turn divided into villages—an estimated 1000 in total (1981). The Gambia is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa with about 96 persons per square Km.

School of Public Health, Brikama

The Gambia School of Public Health was founded in 1968 primarily to train Environmental Health Inspectors and also act as a base for Health Education within the Gambian community. Gambian students pursuing the Higher National Degree (HND) program in the School of Public Health are placed in a variety of units under the Department of State for Health in order to gain first hand experience on the nature and scope of national mandates. The public health practicum is a required course in the HND curriculum.  The Gambian students are also placed under NGO and government health facilities in the Greater Banjul Area and in the provinces.   US students participating in The Gambia Summer Program have the opportunity to interact with Gambian students and faculty.

The School of Public Health also provides training to personnel at the National Environmental Agency. The School of Public Health’s new complex building at Brikama Campus is provided with well-equipped, modern laboratory, where students are trained in analytical methods and laboratory procedures relevant to public health and environmental health sciences.

The School of Public Health also works closely with the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

School of Medicine, Banjul

Founded in 1997 as part of the new University of The Gambia, the school is located in Banjul next to Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH)—a 650-bed tertiary health care institution and central referral point for all health facilities throughout the country. Medical students complete clinical rotations at RVH as well as the major health centers throughout the country.

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Banjul

The School of Nursing and Midwifery, based in Banjul, provides a general pre-service course for the State Registered Nurse (SRN) as well as an in-service midwifery course for State Certified Midwives (SCM). Graduates work in the various hospitals and health centers of the Primary Health Care System under the Ministry of Health.

More about The Gambia

• www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ga.html