Some Cameroonians have expressed outrage on social media, asking the Minister of Public Health to take action against a medical worker accused of exploiting travellers at the Nsimalen airport in Yaoundé.
The worker whose name MMI obtained as Essamo Eyamo Oceania, is accused of extorting money from travelers, coercing them to pay for Yellow Fever vaccination cards regardless of their validity.
Her alleged misconduct came to light thanks to Enowbachem Agbor, who claimed to have experienced the dubious practice firsthand.
Agbor said Eyamo Oceania asked him and his friend to pay FCFA 13,000 each for carrying an expired vaccination card.
Paying this money wasn’t going to help them acquire a new card, but it was going to enable them to pass through the Nsimalen airport with the expired card.
But since his friend really wanted to travel, he allowed the doctors to inject him with something that looked unreal.
“I told my friend not to take it because that woman does not look like a professional to me, and he is not sure what they are injecting into his body,” he said.
Agbor said that when it was his turn, he refused to pay the money. The woman seized his card, and he insisted on having it back before leaving the airport.
“The woman was trying to be innovative in her lies; she told me that my card had no doctor’s name, hospital stamp, or signature, among others. I guess she was blinded by her quest to squeeze out money from everyone,” he said.
Agbor furthered that the woman later realized that the card contained all she was asking for; she diverted to the fact that the card had expired and Agbor should pay for another one to be issued instantly.
“Unfortunately for her, I came prepared for her. I will do my best not to take part in corruption. I said, ‘Okay you said my card had expired; can I have it back?’ She said no, I must obtain a new one. I told her that if I missed my flight, then it was on her,” Agbor added.
In the end, the woman handed back the card to Agbor without any exchange of money.
Agbor’s experience has struck a chord with many others who claim to have been victims of similar exploitation by the same individual. Some have reported paying as much as FCFA 15,000 under false pretences.
“How many stories do we need to hear before this corruption gateway is stopped?” Kah Walla, President of the Cameroon People’s Party, said.
Demands for her dismissal are gaining momentum. Citizens are calling for swift and decisive action to root out corruption and restore trust in the healthcare system.
