An assessment of critical care capacity in the Gambia.

Purpose: Critical illnesses are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in The Gambia, yet national data on critical care capacity is lacking.

Materials And Methods: We surveyed eight of the eleven government-owned health facilities providing secondary and tertiary care in The Gambia's public health sector. At each hospital, a designated respondent completed a questionnaire reporting information on the presence of an intensive care unit, the number of critical care beds where available, monitoring equipment, and the ability to provide basic critical care services at their respective hospitals.