Cameroon: 1,400 congenital abnormality patients to be rescued from Gov’t Neglect

An international humanitarian Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mercy Ships, has pledged to rescue some 1,400 destitute patients suffering from varied diseases in the West Region, who have repeatedly been turned away by officials of Government hospitals in the Region as they yearn for medical attention.

Moved by a pathetic incident in which one of the patients was denied medical healthcare because he could not afford the bills, given his chronic state, a Cameroonian who is based in the diaspora, invited the NGO to Cameroon to organise a medical campaign in the Region in order to enable the health organisation select patients whose conditions were precarious, and offer free surgery.  

During the campaign, over 1,400 serious medical cases were dictated ranging from; chronic ulcers, congenital abnormalities, bone contractures, huge tumours, clubfoot, malformations, amongst others.
Mercy Ships is based in Texas, USA and was founded by Donald Stephens in 1978, with a mission to improve access to healthcare in developing African countries. 

With its slogan; “Bringing Hope and Healing”, Mercy Ships lays emphasis on surgery, healthcare and development.

So far, it has operated in more than 50 developing nations and about 18 developed countries.
According to the official who solicited the help of the international NGO, “the free medical surgeries will safe many Cameroonians from Government neglects.

To him, “in some countries, the Government prioritise the health of its citizens, but in our own country which is very rich in terms of natural resources, even if patients manage to come to the hospital, they are turn away by uncaring medical personnel in Government hospitals,” he said.
Denizens from all the nooks and crannies in the Region with complicated medical problems and malformations, have been flooding the healthcare campaign of Mercy Ship and the NGO has agreed to stay in Cameroon from August 2017 to June 2018.
“We have seen very pathetic cases here, just as we will find in other parts of Cameroon. This is a very special occasion, thanks to the NGO, Mercy Ships, our patients will be taken care of. It is our wish that all goes well and we can only accompany our patients with prayers and express our gratitude to Mercy Ships for the golden opportunity given to the sick,” West Governor, Awa Fonka intimated.