North West: Uncertain fate of kidney patients

Hundreds of kidney patients in Bamenda and other places in the North West Region of Cameroon have been abandoned to their fate.

In an announcement issued Sunday, January 3rd, 2021 by the director of Bamenda regional hospital, Dr. Denis Nsame calls on the patients to seek medical assistance in other regions of Cameroon.

“…dialysis patients, in particular, should note that due to unforeseen acute breakdown of the machines in the dialysis center, the hemodialysis center has been temporarily closed and patients should go to other general hospitals of the country pending a lasting solution to the machines of the center,” Dr. Denis Nsame stated.

The announcement has been received with great disappointment by the public and kidney patients in particular. “I don’t understand how a government can be so careless about the lives of people to a point that all dialysis machines will breakdown without any replacement,” an inhabitant of Bamenda lamented.

There have been questions if kidney patients frail in their health conditions will have the necessary resources and strength to travel to other regions to seek medical assistance.

With the observation of the first ghost town Monday, January 4th in Bamenda, some kidney patients say they cannot travel out of the region to seek medical assistance.

From the announcement, there is no specific date of when the dialysis center will be reopened to safe the health of patients.

Efforts to get the reaction of Dr. Che Soh Kingsley; regional delegate of public health for the North West react to the decision to temporarily shut down the dialysis center have failed.


Mbatho Ntan.