Professor Umberto D’Alessandro, director of Medical Research Council Unit, has said the council has contributed to the reduction of child mortality in The Gambia through research and clinical services.
According to him, the council research fits within Millennium Development Goal 4, 5 and 6.
His words: “Goal 4 is to reduce child mortality; we believe that we have contributed towards this goal by providing the essential information to implement large scale interventions that have had a major impact on childhood mortality. I have provided insecticide-treated bed nets and vaccines. From our demographic surveillance area in Farafenni, we have shown that The Gambia, or at least the area around Farafenni, had achieved the MDG 4 well before the dead line of 2015. We also contribute to goal 5, i.e. improve maternal health, as we have carried out substantial research on the prevention of malaria among pregnant women.”
With the 60 years of the council existence in the country, Professor D’Alessandro noted that council has produced an impressive volume of research that has influenced greatly the health status of The Gambia and other sub-Saharan countries. He called on concerned stakeholders in the nation’s health sector to invest in research. According to him, there will not be progress in development without a substantial investment in research.
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