A free consultation campaign began yesterday, Thursday, July 23, 2026, in this working-class neighborhood where 60 to 70% of residents are in a situation of poverty.
The project is led by Charity Assurance Medical Center, a private organization supported by the Bonassama Health District. For three days, people will be screened and treated. Several conditions have been targeted, including malaria, high blood pressure, diabetes, oral diseases, urinary tract infections, and childhood illnesses.
Arriving on site on the first day, the concentration of medical professionals is evident. All the reception areas are bustling with activity. Doctors and nurses are working diligently to meet the needs of patients who arrive in small groups, and even with their families.Annette Ambe came with her husband for a consultation: “Someone called us. A woman told us there was a campaign, so I told my husband we should go.
We received a free consultation. We had the lab tests done at a very low cost. We feel reassured. Everything is fine and we feel good,” she told us. And finally, she offered her advice: “I advise people to come for a consultation. The reception is excellent. The doctors take the time to see patients. I think they should extend the campaign.
Three days is too short for the number of people in this neighborhood, especially for the truly poor people here. This is a good opportunity for us,” said Ms. Ambe.Free medicinesFor Dr. Gildas Karel Mkeutcha Simo, everything must be done to save the poor: “The goal is to help impoverished people at least get a diagnosis and begin treatment. And for those we can help with free medication, we give it to them free of charge,” revealed this general practitioner, who then discussed an aspect of consultations he considers important: “There is an ophthalmology service for free eye exams. There, we ensure that at least everyone who has problems receives care.
Because most of the problems among the elderly include glaucoma and cataracts. People live with them without realizing it. They walk with a background of high intraocular pressure, and so many other things. Truly, this campaign is aimed at helping the population as best we can, with the limited resources we have,” he said.After hours of consultation, we have a better understanding of the extent of the problems.
« A large number of people have come in with high blood pressure. This is a condition often linked to obesity. They are very young, around 30 years old, who come in with very high blood pressure. You can’t believe that at 30, their blood pressure is already 200. That’s not normal.
Also, there are sexually transmitted infections. People aren’t protecting themselves. They don’t have healthy lifestyles. These are the two biggest problems, including sexually transmitted diseases and hypertension, which are not easily communicated. We must also add diabetes, malaria, and gastroenteritis. There are others, like malaria, smoking, and alcoholism, » he reveals.This prompted him to offer some advice: “I would like to encourage more people to go to the hospital when they aren’t feeling well.
Because we’ve already noticed that many people come here having tried many things at home. It’s also worth noting that it’s free for them to come. I asked a patient what she was taking for stomach pain. She told me that because she was taking Masepo.
You just have to come to the hospital when you’re not feeling well. When you’re sick, you come to the hospital. First, because some people stay at home. Then, they die,” he advised.
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« I know what it means to be sick and not have the money to get treatment.
Dr. Emmerencia BezejuhShe is the promoter of Charity Assurance Medical Center, a healthcare facility located in the Grand Hangar neighborhood of Bonabéri. Supported by the Bonassama health district, we approached her to better understand her motivations for undertaking such an activity in such an impoverished environment.
The objectivesToday, it’s generally clear that there’s a real problem. From January to June, our consultation records show that malaria is the most frequent illness. And given the unsanitary conditions in our environment here, typhoid fever is also making a strong comeback.But strangely enough, we’re receiving patients in severe condition.
This means that many patients are at home and don’t go to the hospital because they think it’s too expensive. So, we organized this campaign with the aim of reaching at least 700 to 1,000 people to whom we will provide free malaria treatment.
This is our contribution to making life, which is already very difficult for the people of Bonabéri. The treatments we provide are specifically for uncomplicated malaria. For severe malaria, we offer them at a very, very low cost.It’s also my way of saying thank you to God because I too have known hardship and suffering. I know what it means to be sick and not have the money for treatment.Diabetes and other diseasesWe also offer free diabetes screening because many people have diabetes.
By the time it’s diagnosed, they’re often dealing with complications. We also screen for high blood pressure, since we have cardiologists on staff. We have many specialists: pediatricians, cardiologists, diabetologists, nephrologists, and urologists.We have a large number of specialists, surgeons. So, what we are doing today is screening these patients in order to guide them to specialists who can implement the best treatment protocols to reduce the number of complications that diabetics experience because they were unaware of their condition beforehand and waited at home.
Measures taken to avoid being overwhelmedFor this campaign, I brought in two more general practitioners. So, there are four GPs to manage the flow of consultations. We have an ophthalmologist, a dentist, a cardiologist, and a diabetologist. There are eight doctors in total. So, we’re not worried. We have a very dynamic team. We have laboratories and biologists on site.Charity Assurance, in the name of charityThis name, I received it from God because when I started, it wasn’t the name I had chosen. I had initially written « Center of Grace. » But the day I was filling out the paperwork to submit the application to the district, « Charity Assurance » rang in my ears.Charity Assurance means the assurance of love.
People need to be reassured that they are loved. You have to love someone to care for them better. So, the name Charity Assurance means we care with love.Take care of everyone after the campaignAfter the campaign, it’s important to understand that this charitable work I’m doing didn’t just start today. I don’t have any grants, I don’t have anyone supporting me, but I do have my biological daughter who supports me in these efforts. She’s a pharmacist.As a child, she saw me suffer, she saw me rise again.
So, she is my only support today. She never abandons me. She and I decided to share what little we have with the community. We want everyone around us to smile because the Lord has given us the ability to help.Taking into account the CSUHere, we really take these health vouchers into account. Prenatal consultations are already free.
Although we’re a private practice, we still pay for electricity, staff, and taxes. But we’re strictly adhering to the Universal Health Coverage (CSU) program.We take care of all the CSU targets that are on our technical platform, and free of charge.A message to health authoritiesI ask them to encourage those who are doing good work. I would ask them not to forget that, yes, we are in the private sector, but if I, for example, had a small government grant, I believe I could do wonders.
It’s true, with health vouchers, we get some subsidies for malaria treatment in children aged 0 to 5, for rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). But RDTs aren’t enough, because sometimes you need to determine the trophozoite count to really know how to best treat the child. So, it’s not always that simple, but by the grace of God, I believe that those who can afford it help those who can’t.The level of poverty in the Grand Hangar districtI’d say 60 to 70%. Only 30% of the people in this area can actually pay their bills.
The proof is that there are many women who give birth here who don’t even have the money to pay the bills. We let them leave because we’re not going to condemn them. And there’s a proverb that says the book of the poor is very fruitful.This is a neighborhood where people are very poor and fertile. So, we support them in our own way.
Alphonse Jènè
