A Friend Indeed!

Many people must have been surprised on Tuesday 27 January 2015 when Prime Minister Philemon Yang visited a specialist Ophthalmological hospital under construction on the outskirts of Yaounde which is near completion.

The benevolent donor, Saudi Arabian national of Egyptian origin, Dr. Akef Magrabi, even announced during the visit that consultations and treatment are expected before the end of 2015 and the ultra-modern structure will be completed by mid this year as well.

The surprise here is not the sophisticated nature of the imposing buildings and what it would provide in terms of modern health care to the population, but the fact that few people heard of any publicity concerning the project before. Needless saying that the hospital has emerged like a mushroom. The advantages being presented from it appear to be marvellous.

For instance, Dr Magrabi says the centre will cater for varied forms of eye diseases with specialists brought in from Egypt and India. The unique innovation will be the existence of a mobile team of eye specialists who will go round villages to identify and provide treatment to persons suffering from eye problems.

In addition, the sub-regional reach that he is giving to the outfit opens another window of opportunity for the entire country as people from across the globe will flock to Yaounde for treatment.

This is as good as it may sound, but the lethargy that has often been deplored in other jewel projects offered to Cameroon by donors and other development partners must not be allowed to affect this new initiative.

The sudden appearance of the project to the public eye just when it is nearing completion speaks of a high degree of seriousness which needs the support of all those who hold public office, especially those with an accompanying role for the infrastructure to go operational. It is no secret that in the past, Cameroonians have been known to work so hard in “scoring goals against their own team!”

People who selfishly insist on kick-backs in order to sign papers for projects that benefit the common man, even when they are dealing with initiatives from private individuals are guilty of the obnoxious practices being belittled here. Some have even been known to shroud projects with secrecy and unjustified administrative bottlenecks simply because they hope to hide behind such subterfuge and line their pockets with cash.

Others have served as deliberate obstacles so as to show how important they are in the onward march of national life; whereas they are simply into a curious display of egocentric character.

Hopefully, the presence of several Cabinet Ministers alongside the Prime Minister on Tuesday at the site of the hospital will signal a harmonious note for positive contributions towards facilitating work for the new ophthalmological centre. Prime Minister Yang’s disclosure that the hospital will spare Cameroonians of the expenses involved in health care-related evacuations should also be another reason to force any feet-dragging persons within the support-chain to toe the line.

Facilities such as water, electricity, communication, telecommunications and other social amenities required for the hospital to function properly need to be engaged immediately by those concerned so as to avoid any delay in the ambitions set out by the benefactor. Just as an example, interminable contract award procedures have knowingly been used in most cases to scare potential investors and other good meaning persons burning with desires for Cameroon.

And that is a pity! Having invested some whopping FCFA 8 billion in Cameroon without any preconditions, and given the attendant windfalls of the infrastructure, the donor should be encouraged so as to attract others. Those charged with the wellbeing of the people should obligatorily qualify the sponsor as a friend indeed and facilitate the processes involved in his installation.