Mayor Chenwi Peter hands one million to the Director of the Bamenda Regional Hospital
Public health institutions in Cameroon have as policy to first treat patients before requesting for payments. With the economic situation of North West region marred by the anglophone crisis, some patients cannot foot their bills after receiving treatment.
The Bamenda regional hospital lost 72 million in 2018, 39 million in 2019, 31 million in 2020 and for the first quarter of 2021 the hospital has lost 9 million francs to unpaid bills as narrated to the observer by the Director of regional hospital Dr Nsame Denis.
Women receive support at the incubating unit
While some patients cannot totally pay their bills, others try to seek for help elsewhere. At the Bamenda II Council, the Mayor says files keep coming every day, requesting for medical assistance.
"The request for assistance from patients keep rising everyday. That is why the council decided to undertake this visit and see the situation of patients at the Bamenda regional hospital" the Mayor said.
According to statistics from the hospital, some 64 patients currently have difficulties in paying for drugs and doing lab tests. Some were mothers who put to birth prematurely and don't have the means to sustain the welfare of the children.
On hand, Mayor Chenwi Peter handed the sum of One million to the Director of the hospital to ensure that the stay of these women are less stressful.
"it's as if tears should flow down from our eyes. As we are at the nursery it's as if tears should flow down from our eyes. On behalf of all the mothers, may God bless you and grant you a safe journey back."
Babies at the incubating unit
Before his visit to the ward, the Mayor was thrilled to some infrastructural needs of the hospital to meet up with current standards. Some wards need complete renovation while others need extension to accommodate the ever increasing number of patients. The Mayor requested that these projects be submitted at the council for studies and eventual sponsorship for some.
"Our technical services will look at the projects and that which we can execute, we will definitely execute."
Created in April 1956, the Bamenda regional hospital currently has a bed space of 400. A staff strength of 168 government paid workers with 35 Doctors. Of the 35, 16 are specialist. The hospital in order to meet the demands of the population has 319 staff duly recruited to assist in the care giving process.
By
Ndi Tsembom Elvis
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