The people of Limbe, through the Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council, Andrew Motanga Monjimba, who is also the Chairman of the Management Board of the Limbe Regional Hospital, have reiterated their call for the hospital to be transformed into a reference hospital.
The call was made recently during a ceremony organised by Senator Peter Mafany Musonge to donate some medical equipment to the Limbe Regional Hospital.
The equipment included an electrocardiogram, phototherapy lamp for jaundiced babies, ENT set and other minor equipment for ear, nose and throat tests. They all cost some 4.7 million FCFA.
In his welcome address, Andrew Motanga Monjimba described the event as a special one with a special person, Senator Peter Mafany Musonge, at the centre. He added that Senator Musonge is not only special but also an iconic person not only for Limbe, South West region, but the whole of Cameroon.
Motanga thanked Senator Musonge for putting the Limbe Regional Hospital first on his list of senatorial actions, adding that the population would no longer travel far distances to undergo heart, ear, nose and throat tests.
“For us to attain the Vision 2035, we need healthy people because human resources are very important for any development,” Motanga said, and assured the donor, Senator Musonge, that the equipment will be put into good use.
The Government Delegate then said it is the wish of the population of Limbe for the hospital to be raised to a reference hospital to reduce the huge cost of people going to Douala for medical purposes.
Meanwhile, the Director of the hospital, Dr. Pius Kuwoh, regretted that some services of the hospital lack personnel and equipment, causing the hospital not to function at full capacity.
However, he said the donated equipment will help improve on the services offered by the hospital as they will no longer refer patients for ENT to other hospitals. He assured the judicious use of the equipment.
On his part, the South West Regional Delegate of Health, Dr. Mbome Njie, said in the Cameroon country report by the World Bank, it recommends the strengthening of community health which means that all stakeholders have inputs to make. He said the donation to the hospital will help improve on quality and quantity care as it will motivate medics. He also called on government to rehabilitate the hospital infrastructure.
When he took the cue, the donor, Senator Musonge, said government is doing a lot to improve on the health of citizens by providing healthcare at affordable prices. He said he has taken note of the requests made and will lobby who these to come to fruition. But he called on other men and women of goodwill to also do more as the equipment is proof of his concern for the health of the population.
“We need a strong, healthy population to be productive in carrying out issues towards the development of our country,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Chris Ebong of Premier Medicals, the institution that had the contract to buy the equipment, said they are state-of-the-art equipment that even beat WHO standards.
