When power cuts disrupt the operation of hospitals.than 8 hours.https://minat.gov.cm/presentation/carte-des-regions/adamaoua/
Ngaoui District Hospital, like many other healthcare facilities, is facing electricity problems.
In the Adamawa region, healthcare facilities have been facing a dire situation since the beginning of the year. Recurring power outages, exacerbated by energy rationing, have tripled their fuel costs for generators, threatening patients’ lives and the continuity of care. The Ngaoundéré Regional Hospital, one of the region’s busiest healthcare facilities, is grappling with this grim reality.
Each week, this facility spends an average of 100,000 FCFA to power its single 15 kVA generator. This backup power supply, provided by the utility company, is intended to supply vital services such as the operating theater, intensive care unit, laboratories, medical imaging department, and maternity ward, to name just a few. « We have one generator, but it’s not enough to power all the services. We are appealing to the hospital’s management committee to provide us with a second generator for the dialysis unit, » explains Dr. Gaya Hamza, the hospital director. He emphasizes the urgent need to equip the hemodialysis center with a second generator of the same capacity. « We have already considered isolating the shops located opposite the hospital to ensure the generator is used solely by the hospital. » « We are currently taking steps with the company in charge of distributing electricity, but the sustainable solution to this constraint is the acquisition of a new generator to support the existing one, » he insists.
This cry for help echoes the grievances of patients. Papa Kameni, a man in his early sixties suffering from kidney failure, appeals to those of goodwill: “The staff at the hemodialysis center are impeccable, but we are facing an electricity problem that is
hindering our treatment. We are pleading with the Association of Friends of the Continent (AMIC) to see how we can be provided with a generator to help us complete our sessions without difficulty,” he pleads. Like him, dozens of patients dread the interruptions, which could prove fatal.
This scourge does not spare other structures. At the Ngaoui district hospital, in the Mbéré department, most of the laboratory equipment has remained in boxes since its acquisition due to a lack of a permanent and sufficient power supply to operate it optimally.
Regional authorities, particularly decentralized local governments, are promising solutions, but for now, the challenges remain. « Health is one of our priorities at the Regional Council, and we will see how we can intervene to support the hospitals under our jurisdiction, » reassured Aliou Issa, President of the Adamaoua Regional Council, during the last management committee meeting of the regional hospital, which he chairs. Faced with this crisis, healthcare professionals and patients are joining forces to demand dedicated phone lines for healthcare facilities and to prevent recurring power outages.
Jean BESANE MANGAM
