The Mayor of mamfe council Robertson Tabenchong Ashu has made a distressed call on the present state of Mamfe district hospital. This was during a one day working session meeting in Buea aimed at transferring resources from the ministry of public health to councils in the South west region. In attendance were all the Mayors and Regional locals authorities in the South West who gathered enhance healthcare delivery in the Southwest Region, to strengthen decentralization and improve health service provision at the grassroots level.
Speaking on the state of the hospital the Mayor lamented that the hospital is not equipped to handle cases. “If you have a little complication you are refered to nearby hospitals like Kumba and Limbe. With the long distance and security concerns, you cannot travel down for treatment,” the Mayor insisted .
The Mamfe District hospital was burnt down by Separatist fighters in 2022. Since the burning of the hospital, it has not been easy for the population of Mamfe town. Indeed, the entire Division depends on the hospital for its health-care needs.
The existing Mamfe preventive health care facility was never designed to deal with intensive care and delivery cases. It has never been endowed with the capacity to deal with heart problems, asthma, kidney failure and other critical illnesses but following the burning of the district hospital, this poorly equipped preventive health facility is now charged with the duty of handling very challenging situations though it is bereft of the proper equipment. Many people including IDPs depend on it.
The Mayor has made a distress call for special attention to be given to the rehabilitation of the Mamfe District hospital. “As Mayor I have been sending my message to the appropriate for the hospital to be equipped ..it is not normal for a border town like Mamfe to be without a proper health facility.” Mayor Robertson Tabenchong Ashu appeals.
At a time when the Reconstruction plan has been reviewed to include local authorities, the Mayor of Mamfe says the equipping of the Mamfe District hospital should be a priority in the plan. He has also called on the population to remain calm and trust the Council to make this request a reality at a time that competence and resources are progressively being according to Municipal Authorities under the Decentralization process