Doctor says negligence killed Patrick Ekeng

The specialist in sports medicine and doctor of the Indomitable Lions, denounced the poor medical support given to Patrick Ekeng after collapsing on field.

The causes of the death of Patrick Claude Ekeng are not yet elucidated. The footballer of 26-year died on May 6, 2016, after collapsing at the 69th minute of the between his club Fc Dimamo Bucharest and Viitorul Constanta. Transported to the hospital, he could not be saved.

Pending the results of the autopsy to be made, the Cameroonian public opinion questioned the circumstances of his death, 13 years after the sudden and tragic death of Marc Vivien Foe. One of the pioneers of sports medicine in Cameroon was reached by telephone by the RTS, an urban radio station based in Yaounde.

If Dr. William Ngatchou refuses to speak about error on the part of the medical staff who handled the case of Ekeng. The cardiac surgeon, however, recognizes that there has been negligence. “I watched nearly three minutes of the video of the death of Patrick Ekeng. I’m not really surprised that a player collapses during a football game. It is shocking to see the telecasts, but be aware that according to statistics, about 1000 players collapse in this way every year especially in stadiums of amateur championships, “said the Cameroonian who lives in Belgium.

But later in his remarks, the doctor of the Indomitable Lions regrets the support enjoyed by the Cameroonian. “But what I do not understand, is the reaction of the various medical teams. When a player collapses without having had contact with another, he does not even need to wait permission from the referee to go on the playground. You must immediately perform cardiac massage and bring a defibrillator. None of this was done, “he notes.

While recognizing that it is premature to think that these actions would have saved the live of Patrick Ekeng, Dr. Ngatchou indicates that they help in some cases to avoid death.