The Hope Solidarity, HSE has organised a free health outreach in Babessi recently in the Ngoketunjia Division of the Northwest Region, saying that it is their own way of contributing to the country’s realisation of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.
The health development organisation, in partnership with the Faith Medical Foundation International reached out to close to 10,000persons in Ngoketunjia with offers of free consultations, medications, surgeries, lab test and much more.
The community based organisation comprising public health personnel, business men, economists, traditional rulers, magistrates and religious men, has as objective to promote free health and social assistance to the needy indigenous, rural and suburban populations of Cameroon.
According to the President and CEO of Hope Outreach, Dr. Tatapong Emmanuel, their motivation to offer free medical services stems from their desire to reduce untimely deaths in rural areas by providing access to basic treatment to the socially and financially disadvantaged.
During the outreach in Babessi, the hope givers carried out general and specialised consultations; HIV and other STDs screening or reproductive track infections, free distribution of essential medicines to people diagnosed of one ailment or the others such as laboratory tests, vaccinations, surgeries, ophthalmology, odonto-stomatology, sanitary education, information and counseling.
From 2005 when it was created till date, HSE has been working in very close collaboration with the Israeli Embassy in Cameroon and has been able to cover 7 out of the country’s 10 regions. All through these projects, they have been able to provide free consultation to 68,931 persons, free HIV testing to 3,419 persons, free surgeries to 1,091 persons, free lab tests to 3,778 persons, free odonto-stomatology to 1,456 persons, free ophthalmology to 2,431 persons, free distribution of medicines to 71,346 persons and health talks to a cross-section of the visited populations.
It is on the backdrop of their impact that some 23 traditional chiefs of the Yaounde 4 and 5 districts emulated the grateful leper in the good book who came back to thank the ‘saviour’ after he was healed of leprosy. The chiefs expressed their gratitude while encouraging the organisation for its impact in their localities.
They commended the good work and attested to the fact that they have been spared lots of medical expenses, and above all saved lives.
Meanwhile, the foundation hopes to extend its tentacles with the ‘Operation Outreach Patients’ to the remaining parts of the country (3 regions) in the shortest possible future with, of course, the help and partnership of benevolent individuals and institutions.