A whistleblower who works at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) has contacted Askani Gambia (AG Radio) with a series of allegations concerning the hospital’s finances, administration and day-to-day operations.
According to the whistleblower, Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH currently has no functioning washing machines, forcing some staff members to wash hospital linens by hand.
Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) has been and continues to be plagued with fraud and corruption according to the whistleblower. Central to these allegations had been previously three staff members, Dr. Abubacarr Jagne and Adama Mbye, along with Modou Lamin Ceesay, who reportedly used to manipulate the accounts section. Corruption and abuse of power still persist unabated.
Several hospital staff members are unlawfully denied payment for their double shifts and overtime work. The hospital management has identified specific individuals as part of a targeted campaign. The whistleblower says that several people have been promoted in the past two years, but management has refused to raise their pay.
Dr. Abubacarr Jagne and Modou Lamin Ceesay were the subject of concerns before, allegedly involved in fraudulent activities with the hospital GT Bank accounts. The whistleblower alleged that some of the funds was embezzled and that junior cashiers and revenue collectors were wrongly blamed for defrauding the hospital.
Dr. Ammar Al Jafari, the former Chief Medical Director of the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), has been accused by the whistleblower of engaging in bribery with select media outlets in The Gambia to secure favourable coverage during his time in the hospital.
The whistleblower reveals that he received reliable information from the accounts department of the hospital, indicating that D4.5 million used to be deposited monthly at GT Bank over a span of two years. Despite this substantial financial flow, obtaining even a simple paracetamol from the hospital remains a significant challenge.
The laboratories designated for testing are currently non-operational continues whistleblower, and there has been a significant increase in hospital fees and charges, creating considerable challenges for the community. Nothing is available in the hospital. “So where’s all this money going?” “The whistleblower asked.”
After Dr Mbowe’s appointment as minister, the revenue of the hospital shot up and it bought brand new Hyundai vehicles. Now, the hospital’s financial statements show a disturbing situation, with all accounts showing a deficit. The hospital is now going through a rough patch financially depending on loans from several banks and other financial institutions, whistleblower said.
The whistleblower claims that the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Mustapha Bittaye, is trying to use an individual called Samba Bah to evade signing any finance-related documents, an act considered as a form of self-protection. Bah is currently in charge of the massage section of the hospital.
In a surprising turn of events Bah rejected a promotion offer to the rank of Director of Admin. This has resulted in a clash between Bah and the hospital’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), who threatened to publish the vacant position. This prompted intervention from the Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh. Samateh is aware of most of the corruption occurring at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), whisleblower said.
The revenue collectors roster for the period from 7th June 2026 to 6th September 2026 was supposed to be released beforehand but it came out just a day before, not giving revenue collectors enough time to prepare. The hospital management is displaying huge deficits leading to a lack of operational efficiency. The blame is often put on the revenue collectors, whistleblower said.
According to whistleblower, four people in the accounts department had been promoted to assistant supervisors and their promotion letters had been hanging around for almost two years, which were later handed over to Mr. Nyassi, the president of the staff association, who kept them there for six months. When asked why it took so long, Nyassi said that he had asked CMD Dr. Mustapha Bittaye who had ignored him. The staff are now threatening to take the matter to the Ombudsman as soon as they get the necessary supporting documents from Jalli, the acting PRO.
The hospital administration always says there are no funds available but funds are always available to pay their sitting allowances and per diems. Even when meetings are cancelled, their sitting allowances are always paid in advance.
The whistleblower has released videos depicting an empty area within the hospital facility where the hospital generator once stood, but it is now nowhere to be seen. Following the embezzlement of hospital funds, the management is now contemplating replacing GT Bank with Blue Bank due to a lack of available funds.
Even basic raincoats are currently unavailable for hospital staff, as we have entered the rainy season. A staff member of the hospital reached out to one Salifu Jaiteh for help with raincoats. Jaiteh enquired if he could make the cheque out to one of the senior hospital staff members, but Jaiteh was advised against this, as it could lead to the cheque being cashed and the funds being divided among the hospital’s senior management team, whistleblower said.
According to the whistleblower, NAWEC has been seeking proof of fuel purchases for the hospital generators; however, the staff management at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) has disregarded this request because the funds intended for fuel have been misappropriated by senior staff, including CMD Dr. Mustapha Bittaye and Minister of Health Dr. Samateh.
Modou Lamin Ceesay, the former hospital finance director, along with former Deputy CMD Dr. Abubacarr Jagne, had in the past accused Dr. Jafari the CMD at the time of colluding with the hospital cashiers to defraud millions of Dalasis.
What is even more surprising to me is that, after committing serious financial crimes at GRTS and in Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), the same Modou Lamin Ceesay is now employed by Gamworks. Another remarkable development is that Dr. Aboucarr Jagne, who has been suspended pending investigations from the hospital due to fraud and corruption allegations, continues to work for Dr. Tamsir Mbowe at his private clinic instead of having his license revoked, whistleblower said.
At Gamworks whistleblower said, Modou Lamin Ceesay is as always, engaged in his duties within the finance department. Wherever he goes, he engages in finance, and prior to departing, he would perpetrate fraud and financial crimes. What actions are the Fraud Squad and the Police taking regarding Ceesay’s cases? Hospital staff are concerned that these matters are taking a long time, and as of now, there have been no charges or prosecutions.
Ceesay had in the past suspended a staff member, a woman, for over a month without salary; however, accounts documents indicated that she was paid, yet the woman did not receive the payment. Where is the money, and who has taken it? It was a total of D20,000. Hospital administration stated that they were not aware of that.
Patients arriving at the hospital have been subjected to ongoing fraud, as they are often directed to AQA due to doctors receiving their own benefits from these fraudulent referrals. Numerous patients have been directed to undergo several unnecessary tests at different intervals; these tests are not required as they primarily serve the interests of the referring doctors.
Askani Gambia (AG Radio) has not independently verified the allegations contained in this report. The newspaper has sought responses from the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, the Ministry of Health, and the individuals named in the allegations. Any responses received will be published in the interest of fair and balance.
