The Ministry of Health’s Directorate of Health Research, in partnership with the World Health Organization, successfully concluded the fifth edition of the National Health Research Conference on Wednesday. The conference, a crucial platform for sharing insights and advancements in health research, featured contributions from various institutions including the University of The Gambia and MRC Unites The Gambia.

Research in the health sector plays a pivotal role in understanding disease strengths and risk factors, treatment outcomes, public health interventions, healthcare costs, and patterns of care. The conference highlighted the importance of different research approaches in providing complementary insights into these critical areas.

Sainey Sanneh, Director of Research at the Ministry of Health, commended the researchers for their submissions and emphasized the significance of their work. He noted the challenges hindering health research in The Gambia, particularly the gap between researchers and policymakers. Sanneh stressed the need for research findings to inform policy decisions and resource allocations.

Dr. Abdul Karim Ceesay, Assistant Professor of Genomics at MRC University, Gambia, underscored the importance of research in driving development and innovation. He highlighted the value of the Gambian population in research, given the diversity and disease burden on the continent.

Yero Bah, Regional Director of Health Services for the Lower River Region, praised the involvement of young researchers in the conference and encouraged them to continue their efforts. He emphasized the conference’s role as a platform for disseminating research findings and called for continued support and encouragement for such initiatives.

The conference participants expressed hope that the findings presented at the conference would be effectively utilized by policymakers in decision-making processes, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes in The Gambia.