By George Esunge Fominyen
The year 2008 started with young people dying in the February riots. Many just wanted things to improve in Cameroon. The year is ending with a young person dying to register for an entrance exam into the national police. Elvis Wirba just wanted to beat the registration deadline and have an opportunity to obtain employment.
According to state run television (CRTV), Eric Wirba was among the hundreds (or thousands?) of young men and women who had thronged the Advanced Police College (Ecole de Police) in Yaounde as early as 4a.m. to be first on the queue to deposit application files. Unfortunately, the pushing and shoving on the lines led to a stampede during which some youths were crushed and Eric was one who did not survive. Others suffered from chest pains and slight dislocations. A few were in a state of coma. Yaounde authorities say in all 45 persons were injured.
More than just the Death of a Young Man
I do not know Elvis Wirba personally. But I can feel the ppain of his death. In fact, it could have been one of my own. I had just sent some money to a young cousin who wanted to put together the "dossier" for this exam. So when I learnt of the incident, my first reaction was to call home to know if he was alright. I know there are many Cameroonians at home and abroad in the same situation if not worse (if theirs was one of the injured or the dead).
Beyond the death of this boy born in Kumbo in 1986 (my kid sister's age), the problem posed here is the over-centralisation of activity in Yaounde and the non-existent use of ICTs in Cameroon administration.
In this day and age why should we have thousands of people in queues to hand documents? It is the same thing we do to old folks who have served the country for ages and we ask them to flock to CNPS offices under the sun to wait for their retirement benefits - if the benefits ever come. Others have to live their distant Mamfe and travel to Yaounde (which they had never visited in their existence) to "chase their files" for their pension to go through at the Ministry of Finance. That is just one example.
Everything in that country is done in hand and paper. When you visit offices - it is stack of paper upon stack of paper. Making it easy for corrupt civil servants to tell you that your file is missing and they need a tip to get into that dungeon of paper to fish it out for you.
The Limits of Over-Centralisation
For an exam like the entrance to the police corp - you may have just one centre in the whole of Cameroon. When it is not the case, you have only one centre per region.Hence thousands of young folks from Yaounde and the environs, including others from far hoping to have better luck by registering in Yaounde converged on the Police College. And the result is the death of a youngsters and others with serious injuries that may impede their wish to become police constables, inspectors or officers for the rest of their lives. What a shame.
The Fruits of Massive Unemployment
Talking about this desire to become policemen. Is it genuine love for ensuring peace and security to our countrymen that is sending youngsters in droves to apply for the entrance exam into the police? Given the corrupt image of that force - it is not easy to pick-out role models who would inspire so many young men and women.
In my opinion, this is another proof of the desperation and unemployment in Cameroon. A competitive exam is access to a job. Whether we dreamt of being policemen or not, this is an opportunity not to be missed. I am surprised that these entrance exams to the military and the police have still not degenerated into riots - given the numbers that turn up for the application processes. The point is: if you have so many desperate people gathered in one place and frustrated at not reaching the point where documents should be dropped in addition to hearing stories about people whose rich god-fathers or parents just phone in to have their names on the lists - isn't that a bomb waiting to explode?
To put it clearly. This time they seemingly just shoved and pushed and a stampede ensued. Next time - it could be an unstoppable riot that would remind us of the grim days of February 2OO8. Now is the time to think about re-organising our administration; truly decentralising activity and cut this hard paper documenting process as best as we can. Such would be a valuable tribute to this youth (Elvis Wirba) who lost his life as he hoped to improve his living condition.
Oh my God! Do you see what am seeing? A youngman in need of medical care and a doctor standing by with both hands in his pockets and looking on? The nurse in white is not any better. I feel like reaching out to both of them in a bid to put some sense into their heads.
That's typical of some health workers in Cameroon.When are they going to start acting with some immediacy in an attempt to save lives?
Posted by: mabi | January 01, 2009 at 12:46 PM
There you go Mabi! I lost a dear friend in Cameroon last November diagnosed of Pneumonia on the same day she died after receiving treatment for chronic gastritis that was not even properly diagnosed 3months earlier! she just got a strange relapse and was rushed to hospital. The doctor asked for 50.000FCFA before any tests could be run. The results came out the next day that she had pneumonia, and she died the same day 'cos it was too late. Same applies to an aunt of mine who was admitted into hospital and was immediately being administered drips before they could even discover she had a pre-existing diabetic condition. She did not even know she was diabetic and was at the mercy of the hospital. She almost died due to the careless and well-known assumption that every patient needs 2 or three dripsets of glucose even before the performance of proper diagnosis. Thank God, a visitor witnessed the strange colour of her eyes and had to quarrel with the nurses to stop the drip and test her blood sugar. A very simple routine that should follow the vital checks each time a patient comes in with an unknown condition. So there u go!
Oftentimes, we get mad out here that Doctors take too much time before giving us medication or some "cooler" when we ail. But the truth is, it's better to know why that is necessary than make assumptions and instead provoke the death of someone. So tell me about diagnoses! Some health workers just assume instead of actually seeking the cause of an ailment. They assume and start overloading patients with medication. And now last but not the least, I had appendicitis and a Doctor at the general hospital asked me to return in 10days for a surgery ( I still have my hospital book with those notes to proove this). I crept back home with a bagful of painkillers he had prescribed. I could not stand the pain and rushed to another private clinic where my case was an emergency surgery that came in time to prevent what could have been a rupture! Why? All because the doctor in question had overbooked his surgical list and I had to wait 10days!!! God knows where I would have been had I honoured the "almighty" Doctor's instructions. We all know how patients respect doctors' instructions some of which are ridiculously outrageous!These are just cases that affected me personally. There are uncountable statistics out there. God help us! I always say that God works overtime in Cameroon because it could have been worse. Nonetheless, in all fairness, there are lots of Medical practitioners who work tirelessly to ensure that health reigns but health for all is yet to become a supreme reality as poverty still lurks around and seems to have become a permanent resident in our communities nationwide. God continues to work overtime. Will He ever have a back-up Mabi? My Million Dollar question!
Posted by: Irine Asanji | January 08, 2009 at 03:39 PM
The issue here is not only with the quality of our medical personnel, but has to do more with the condition of our public hospitals, and whether government even has a public health policy. That is why most people who can afford, prefer private and confessional health establishments or simply seek for medical attention abroad.
Then doctors should not be blamed for not making proper and timely diagnoses when laboratories lack common reagents, equipment is rusty and outdated, and policy makers in the sector have become mercantile. Why then should God not work extra-time in Cameroon?
Posted by: Kevin Komepule | January 09, 2009 at 05:41 AM