North West: Médecin Sans Frontières may not resume operations any time soon

Authorities of the humanitarian nongovernmental organization have failed to reach an agreement with the government of Cameroon.

This is contained in a statement by the humanitarian organisation Médicine Sans Frontières (MSF) – Doctors Without Borders.

On December 8, 2020, the North West Governor signed a release suspending the partnership between MSF and the Saint Maria Soledad Catholic Hospital, Bamenda, as well as similar partnerships with other health facilities in the North West Region, pending definition of the framework of activities for MSF by the Ministry of Public Health

MSF never reacted to the decision but halted their activities.

This May, MSF’s Director General, Stephen Cornish, and delegation members held fruitless talks with the Minister of Territorial Administration, the Minister of Public Health, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of External Relations, and other representatives of the Cameroonian authorities.

“… No agreement was unfortunately reached to immediately restart our lifesaving medical services in the North-West region. This is disappointing, but we remain hopeful that the lifting of our suspension can be reached in the coming days…,” said Stephen Cornish.

MSF has been working in the conflict hit North-West and South-West Regions since 2018 to provide maternity and obstetric care, surgical care, treatment for diseases like malaria, cholera and Covid-19, and an ambulance service available seven days a week, 24 hours a day to get people to hospital during emergencies.

“Every extra day of suspension is another day that we cannot assist the population in dire need of health care services. An agreement will undeniably change the situation for the better in the provision of essential care in the North-West,” says Cornish

Why government suspended the activities of MSF in North West Region is still a mystery to the inhabitants as communication from both government and MSF have failed to state the reason.