By Alagie Sanyang
Founder & Chairman, The Cornerstone Foundation
Sometimes, when you see someone quietly doing good work, it is important to say so. Not because everything is perfect. Not because every challenge has been solved. But because progress matters, commitment matters, and good leadership deserves recognition when we see it.
That is why I want to recognize Dr. Mustapha Bittaye, Chief Medical Director of Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), for the quiet but important work he is doing to strengthen confidence in one of our country’s most vital institutions
EFSTH is more than a hospital. For us Gambians, it is a place of hope. It is where we go during some of the most difficult and vulnerable moments of our lives, trusting that they will find care, compassion, and professionalism.
Leading such an institution is not easy. The challenges are many, the expectations are high, and the responsibility is enormous.
What I have personally seen under Dr. Bittaye’s leadership is something that cannot be measured only in reports or statistics: a renewed sense of trust.
As a friend of the hospital, and as a major donor and partner through the Cornerstone Foundation and our partners, who together have donated millions of dollars in medical supplies and support, that trust matters deeply to me.
Under Dr. Bittaye, I have felt that reassurance.
He has created an environment where partners can feel comfortable supporting EFSTH, where collaboration is welcomed and where there is a genuine sense that everyone is working toward the same goal: better care for the Gambian people.
That may sound simple, but it is incredibly important.
Trust brings people together. Trust attracts partners. Trust encourages generosity. Trust strengthens institutions. And ultimately, trust gives patients and families hope.
Of course, EFSTH is not without challenges. No major public hospital anywhere in the world is. But good leadership is not about pretending problems do not exist. It is about facing them with humility, determination and a genuine desire to make things better.
Too often, good people in public service hear from us only when something goes wrong. When someone is making a sincere effort, building confidence and helping move an important national institution forward, we should be willing to say so.
Dr. Mustapha Bittaye deserves our encouragement and our appreciation.
His work reminds us that leadership is not always about speeches or public attention. Sometimes leadership is simply about showing up every day, taking responsibility, earning people’s trust and quietly making things better.
And for that, Dr. Bittaye, I want to say:
Thank you for your service. I appreciate your commitment. And thank you for helping restore confidence in EFSTH.
