Welcome to Department of Medicine & Therapeutics ,This Department was, founded in 2005 as part of reforms of the Strategic Management Structure of the University of the Gambia, became the first educational entity in the Gambia to prepare nurses under a university structure.  The Department seeks to offer programmes that reflect current practices and policies in nursing, community health, and reproductive and child health.  The Department is committed to creating a most friendly and energetic atmosphere for professional and intellectual development that will help attract highly motivated and intelligent nurses from the Gambia and abroad.

General Aims and Objectives

Aims: -To develop in the Medical Student of the University of The Gambia (UTG), a high level of commitment to the study of Medicine, the strong desire to achieve and maintain high academic standards, responsible behaviour at all times and a caring interest in people.

He/She will also be given the opportunity to acquire:

•  Adequate knowledge of the health issues of the people of The Gambia and of diseases prevalent in the country
•  Necessary skills required to manage the sick with competence
• Ability to learn and develop the correct and sensitive attitude to patients and their relations
• Knowledge of  the ethics of the Medical Profession, and
• Lay the foundation for life-long habit of learning

Objectives: - To produce the doctor who is:
• Equipped to practice medicine with competence anywhere in The Gambia, and elsewhere as necessary.
• Able to offer integrated medical care to individuals, families, and communities.
• Able to identify and assess the health needs of a community, and to plan and implement cost-effective programmes to improve the health in the community with their active involvement.

 
• Able to recognize his/her limitations and be ready to seek other opinion as necessary.
• Able to define his/her own professional aims and to evaluate his/her progress in achieving them.
• Able to work effectively in the health team, and to assume leadership role when necessary.
• Able to understand macro-economic issues, and to analyse financial aspects of health care delivery, such as cost-efficiency and cost-benefit.
• Ready to teach/train other members of the health team and together to educate the community on their responsibility for their health. 
• Able to acquire a life-long habit of learning.
• Ready to exert prompt health actions in case of natural or other types of disasters.
• Equipped to carry out, and be able to assess elementary research in health services.
• Able to develop and maintain personal characteristics and attitudes required for successful professional life such as personal integrity, sense of responsibility, sensitivity and be dependable
• Able to train and work amicably with traditional health care providers.
• Be aware of, sensitive to, and be an advocate for, gender issues.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Five WASSCE/GCE passes at credit level including English and Mathematics in not more than 2 sittings. For the Medicine programme , candidates must have WASSCE credits in Physics, Chemistry, Biology (or Zoology) in addition to (a). Candidates with GCE must have credits in the above mentioned subjects in ordinary level plus at least three passes in Advanced Level in Biology, Chemistry and either Physics or Mathematics. For the BSc degree in Nursing and Public Health , candidates should have GCE O'level/WASSCE with credits in five subjects including English and at least two Science subjects i.e. Biology, Chemistry, Physics & Mathematics plus two years work experience as a Nurse or Public Health Officer.

Students who are admitted to the Medical Programme and pass the Pre-medical courses (First Year Science Courses and English) should attend three semester courses of Human Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology plus Community Medicine courses (Biostatistics, Health Statistics, Demography, Epidemiology, Primary Health Care, health Psychology). At the end of the three semester courses, students must attend Professional Examinations Part I that include MCQ, Essay, Practical and Oral tests of Human Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology. The passing mark is 50%. This is a requisite for starting the clinical courses, rotations, and clerkships

Medical Programme Summary

Eligibility, Duration, Format and Examinations of the Pre-Clinical Training Programme:

Eligibility: Eligible students will be those who have satisfied both the general requirements for admission into the University of The Gambia and the Faculty requirements for admission to study Medicine.

1.1  Premedical Courses:
Duration: 2 Semesters: The course takes place in the First year during which the student will study Physics, Chemistry and Biology in the Faculty of Science.  He/She will also take the prescribed General Studies courses and Language and must pass all these at one and the same sitting to be admitted to the Pre-Clinical Programme. Students who fail in the Examinations in Physics, Chemistry and Biology will be asked to withdraw from the course in Medicine. 

1.2  Pre-Clinical Programme: 
Duration:  3 Semesters

Studies in Pre-Clinical subjects will last for 3 Semesters, after which the student will be eligible to sit for the First Professional Examination.

Format of Training:  This is based on the Course System.  During this period, students will be taught Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Biostatistics, Community Health and Primary Health Care.  The methods of Teaching/Learning will include lectures, tutorials, Seminars, practicals, field work.

Examinations:  The General regulations governing the conduct of Examinations in UTG shall apply as appropriate.

First Professional (Part I) Examination:  The First Professional (Part I) Examination will be taken after 3 semesters.  The subjects to be examined are Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry. 

The pass mark at the examination shall be 50% which shall be made up of 50% marks earned from Continuous Assessment and 50% marks earned at each examination.

Eligibility to sit each part of the Examination:  To be eligible to sit any part of the Professional Examinations, each student will be required to show evidence of participation at up to (at least) 75% level in all prescribed activities leading to the Examination

Resit Examination:  Students who fail one or two subjects will be allowed to resit the subject(s) at the next available opportunity.  Students who fail all three subjects will be asked to repeat the year.  A student who fails the Resit Examination in either or both of the two subjects will repeat the year.  Those who fail the resit Examinations after repeating the year shall be required to withdraw from the course.

The Clinical Programme

Eligibility, Duration, Format and Examinations of the Clinical Training Programme

Eligibility: Only medical students who have passed the first Professional Examination (Second M.B) of the University of the Gambia are eligible for admission into the Clinical Training Programme of UTG Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences. In special circumstances students who have passed the equivalent examination in other universities recognized by UTG may be admitted into the programme. Each case will be considered on its merit.

Duration: The programme shall extend for a minimum of three calendar years provided that the students successfully complete all the prescribed teaching programmes and pass prescribed examinations.

Format of Training:  This is based on the Clinical Posting System in which the entire Clinical Class (small numbers at present) or a part of a larger class, in numbers that can conveniently be organized, is assigned to study a particular subject area (for example see the summary on p5).  The system is so organized to enable the student progressively acquire knowledge in depth, requisite skills and attitudes and the ethics of the profession by graduation and be ready to build on these attributes.

Examinations:  The General Regulations governing the conduct of Examinations in UTG shall apply.  The final professional examinations are taken in three separate parts and are due as follows.

Part II:   Laboratory Medicine and Pharmacology at the beginning of the 2nd clinical     year.
Part III:  Paediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the end of the 2nd clinical year.
Part IV: Medicine, Surgery and Community Medicine & Primary Health Care.  This is the final examination at   the end of the final Clinical Training Programme.

The pass mark at each examination is 50% which shall be made up of 30% marks each from continuous assessment and 70% marks earned at each examination.  However, in the clinical subjects a student must pass the Clinical examination to pass the whole examination.

Eligibility to sit each part of the Examination:  To be eligible to take any part of the Professional Examinations, each student must show evidence of participation at up to at least 75% in all prescribed activities leading to the particular Examination.

Resit Examination:  This is allowed at the prescribed time in each Professional Examination.  In combined Examinations such as Laboratory Medicine and Pharmacology, a candidate can earn a pass in each part of the examination, and take the referred subject at the next resit.  A candidate who has failed in an examination can resit such a subject up to three times.

Referred candidates will not be permitted to sit for the subsequent professional examinations until success in the subject in which he/she failed has been successfully completed. In the case of the Part IV examination, the resit candidate shall repeat only the referred subject.

Department of Medicine

First Name

Middle Name

Last name

Qualifications

Position

Ousman

Nyan

BSc., MBChB, MSc, DTM&H, MRCP,DipRCPath

Provost/Assoc Prof

Prof. Patrick

A. K.

Addy

MBCh.B, MSc (Med. Microbio), PhD, DTM&P

Professor

Dr. Omar

Sam

MBBCh, FWACP, FRCPA

Senior Lecturer

Alfredo

Guerra

Gonzalez

MD, Specialist (Radiology), Ph.D

Visiting Scholar Consultant

Miguel

Ezcurdia

MD

Visiting Scholar

Raynier

Paulino

Basulto

MD

Visiting Scholar

Ygber L..

González

de la Cruz

MD

Visiting Scholar

Maria

Antonia

Guerrero

MD

Visiting Scholar

Judith

Quinónez

Hernández

MD

Visiting Scholar

Ana Isabel

Abay

Márquez

MD

Visiting Scholar

Olga

Cala

Rizo

MD

Visiting Scholar

Adama

A.

Sallah

MD, DTM&H '81, FS

Part-time lecturer/ Consultant

Nellie

Evans

BSc, MSc (Ottawa) Medical

Adjunct Lecturer

Orestes

Herrera

MD

Part-time Lecturer

Professor Ramon

Gonzalez

Montero

MD (Pathology), PhD (pedgogical Sciences)

Visiting Professor

Dr. Rafael

A. L.

Armbruster

MD (Haematology)

Visiting Scholar

Dr. Ileana

Gonzalez

Palomo

MD (Embryology & General Comprehensive)

Visiting Scholar

Dr. Felix

A. R.

Labrada

MD (General Surgery)

Visiting Scholar

Dr. Genny

Dominguez

Montero

BSc (Pharmacist), MSc (on-going), Diploma

Visiting Scholar

Ivon del Carmen

R.

Machado

MD (Psychiatry), MSc (Social Psychiatry)

Visiting Scholar