CWAGA, Red Cross Show Generosity to Limbe Regional Hospital

Cameroonian women living in Georgia-Atlanta, USA, under the umbrella of Cameroon Women Association-Georgia, Atlanta, CWAGA, have donated 1,415 medical items by Medshare USA to the Limbe Regional Hospital through the Cameroon Red Cross.

Honourable Catherine Eposi Meboka, former Member of Parliament for Fako East Constituency and former Mayor of Limbe, acting as President of Fako Divisional Committee of the Red Cross and Coordinator of CWAGA Cameroon, handed the medical kits to authorities of the Limbe Regional Hospital on January 20, 2010 at the hospital premises. 

In a welcome address to representatives of CWAGA and the Cameroon Red Cross, Dr. Thompson Kinge, Director of the Limbe Regional Hospital said the assorted hospital materials and equipments being received from CWAGA through the highly coordinated efforts of Hon. Meboka would serve freely and generously the entire population of the South West Region.

D.r Kinge noted that the gifts would be used in the laboratories, maternities, theatres, surgical and medical wards, blood banks, X-ray departments, emergency units and in the offices.He highlighted reasons why staff of the hospital whole-heartedly appreciates the gesture.  He said it would supplement the huge efforts made by the government to upgrade the standard of the hospital in terms of equipments and other supplies in order to ensure and guarantee quality health care to every patient.

The hospital director added that it would equally motivate staff. He hoped that the occasion would fortify an already cordial relationship between the Cameroon Red Cross and CWAGA. Dr. Kinge promised that the Limbe Regional Hospital would use the items in the spirit of the donors. “I mean we shall work with the spirit of love, generosity, justice and equity”, he explained.

The container of medical items range amongst others from bandages, syringes, anaesthesia hints and machines, laboratory blood collection tubes, cotton, diapers, biopsy kits, blankets, gloves, X-ray bond, gowns, needles, tables, gauze, ECG monitors, absorbent solidifying agents, pads, pumps, mattress, paper napkins, oxygen cylinder cart, specimen containers, spill kits, sterilisation containers, stretchers and other office supplies.  

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Dr. John Chuwanga, South West Regional Delegate for Public Health, commended CWAGA’s programme which has been focused on health.  He added that the gifts are coming at a time when government is facing difficulties to distribute hospital materials in the nation. Thus he called on the officials of the Limbe Regional Hospital to share the items rationally to other health services in the South West Region.

On his part, Mr. Andrew Motanga Mojimba, Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council, lauded the humanitarian initiative taken by CWAGA through Hon. Meboka. “The gifts offered have come to alleviate poverty in our region” he said. The Limbe Government Delegate asked CWAGA to continue in their largesse to the benefit of every Cameroonian.

Mr. Motanga added that health for all being one of the Millennium Development Goals makes the Cameroon government to attach a lot of importance to public health issues. He appealed to other associations to emulate CWAGA because “the struggle for good health is not only the business of the government but that of every one of us”.

The representative of the Governor of the South West Region, in charge of social affairs at the governor’s office who presided over the event equally praised CWAGA and promised unlimited collaboration from the administration.

The CWAGA-Fako Red Cross Marriage

Talking to the press, Hon. Meboka explained how the philanthropic initiative started. She recounted that after attending a conference in the USA organised by the United Nations Organisation, UNO, on the follow up of the Beijing she decided to take a short holiday in Georgia where she got in contact with CWAGA. She said it was there that discussions were held on how to help Cameroonians back home.

She added: “During this time I also did some voluntary work with Medshare, an American humanitarian organisation that collects and distributes medicine and medical equipments to developing countries”.
“As a Red Cross member and knowing that the Red Cross is an auxiliary to the government of Cameroon, my attention went to the lacks of our hospitals in material and equipment particularly the hospital around my area in Fako and the South West especially because I was a staff of the then Limbe Provincial Hospital”.

Hon. Meboka said CWAGA got interested and requested for the consignment to be handed over to the South West from Medshare. Medshare made the collection and gave to CWAGA, which paid for the shipment to Cameroon on account that the entry of the donation into Cameroon would be tax free.

His Excellency William Eteki Mboumoua, National President of the Cameroon Red Cross secured the customs exoneration through the Directorate of Customs in the Ministry of Finance because it was a humanitarian aid. She thanked everybody who helped for the gifts to leave the Douala Seaport.

Asked what it cost CWAGA to donate 1415 pieces of hospital materials to the Limbe Regional Hospital, Hon. Meboka refused to disclose any figures arguing that it was a philanthropic gesture and could not be estimated on monetary terms. She however stressed that “these are taxes of other people given to us as gifts”.

“The impact should be felt all over the South West Region and Fako Division in particular. The main recipient needs to show its dexterity by using the donation. Other recipients should also follow sooth. If our health is improved then the expenditure for health can be used for other development” she concluded. It was revealed that CWAGA is currently making arrangements for the transportation of another container to Cameroon.

By Mbenju Mafany