CAMASEJ Bamenda And Regional Hospital Strikes Health Deal
By correspondent
Bamenda,Cameroon-July 21,2017-7:00 am Local Time(Cameroon News Agency)The Image of the Bamenda Regional hospital in the days ahead shall be better presented to the people the institution is created to serve. This follows an agreement between the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalist, CAMASEJ, northwest chapter and the Bamenda regional hospital.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed July 2oth. ”the regional hospital Bamenda remains the cheapest health institution in the region with a wide range of specialized doctors. Yet many of our essential services are little known by the population. The regional hospital shall offer our CAMASEJ partner; free screening of chronic illnesses like hypertension and diabetes, counseling on preventable diseases, and psycho-social support on chronic illnesses. This occasion should usher all journalists into the realm of medical journalism-a domain which is a little more demanding than regular or routine journalism”. This according to Dr Kinge Thomson Njie, Director of the Bamenda Regional hospital, there is a great need to inform the public on the various health care services that the hospital offers.
Like a dream come true, the MoU shall enable members of Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists, northwest chapter who can now comfortably be screened of terminal diseases and various ailments like, AIDS, diabetes, hepatitis as well as have medical care from the Bamenda regional hospital on a 50%discount.
In turn, CAMSEJ shall strive to give the various services and departments of the Bamenda regional Hospital proper visibility and exposure to the public, bring the institution closer to the people, and engage on image building.
Speaking on behalf of CAMASEJ, its president Rosaline Obah Akah stated emphatically that CAMASEJ shall hold the MoU very dear to its heart and shall strive to give a new and objective image of the hospital to its internal and external public of the hospital. “At a time a majority of journalist in the region belong to the private press characterized by low salaries with many having to raise families, catering for themselves and providing their daily bread from the peanuts doled out at the end of the month or periodically by their employers, healthcare has remained a big challenge to many of us until today. The people we serve shall better know the services of the regional hospital, departments it operates and periodically, campaigns of the hospital. This MoU shall boost membership in our association as many shall have a reason now to belong” said Obah.
Some CAMASEJ members like Pedmia Shatu and primus Fongoh evaluated the importance of the MoU to their line of work “This is day break for us. When you are paid less for more work done. When you are caught up by poverty and work in an organization without a well defined health insurance scheme, such an understanding like this can be received with and embrace” The agreement has no date of expiry but can be modified by mutual consent of authorized officials of the hospital and CAMASEJ northwest.
A minute of silence was observed in honor of Eric Metumo, Publisher of The Chronicle Newspaper who died last Tuesday in Bamenda.
