2024-04-12 09:27:40
It is a real cry of distress that has reached us at the editorial staff of 237online.com. The healthcare staff of the Chantal Biya Foundation, out of breath, confide anonymously about an untenable situation: it has been 8 months since they received their salary. A situation that endangers the health and even the lives of small patients.
When despair leads to neglect
Imagine these nurses, these caregivers, who take care of our sick children every day. Imagine their dedication, their daily self-sacrifice. And now, imagine their dismay when, for 8 long months, no salary has rewarded their efforts. This is the nightmare experienced by the staff of the Chantal Biya Foundation, which is a showcase for pediatric health in Cameroon. Deprived of income, these staff are breaking down, falling into neglect, endangering the lives of these little beings already weakened by illness.
Parents forced to beg for care
The testimony that has reached us is blood-curdling. This mother, at the bedside of her sick baby for two weeks, saw the unthinkable. To obtain care and medicine, she must beg the staff, “motivate” them financially. Some nurses go so far as to sell medications themselves, bypassing the pharmacy. An aberrant situation which highlights a health system that is adrift, where caregivers are pushed into corruption to survive.
When the absence of salary kills
But the most terrifying are these words loaded with meaning: “there are cases of deaths here that are linked to the negligence of nurses”. Because yes, when healthcare staff are exhausted, when they can no longer meet their own vital needs, it is the health of the patients who suffer. And in a pediatric ward, where life sometimes hangs by a thread, every minute of inattention can be fatal. The absence of salary not only kills motivation, it also kills, indirectly, our children.
A guilty silence from the authorities
Faced with this dramatic situation, one question burns on our lips: what are the authorities doing? How can the Chantal Biya Foundation, the flagship of our health system, leave its staff in such destitution? 8 months without pay is an eternity when you have mouths to feed and rent to pay. It is a pure and simple negation of the dignity of these everyday heroes who fight to save our children. The silence of those responsible, in the face of this distress, is deafening.
It’s time to act !
This situation can not continue. The survival of our health system and the lives of our children are at stake. We solemnly call on the competent authorities, the management of the Chantal Biya Foundation, to take their responsibilities. Paying the salaries of these dedicated staff is an absolute emergency. Because without them, without their daily commitment, the entire chain of care collapses.
And we extend this call to all civil society, to all Cameroonians. This Foundation is ours, it is a reflection of our commitment to the most vulnerable. We cannot remain deaf to the distress of those who devote themselves body and soul to it.
It is a question of dignity, of collective responsibility. It is a matter of life and death for our children. The time is no longer for procrastination, but for action. Cameroon must stand up, as one man, to demand the immediate payment of the salaries of the staff of the Chantal Biya Foundation.
And to you, the nursing staff of the Chantal Biya Foundation, we want to express our support, our admiration, our recognition. Your dedication commands respect. Your fight is ours. Together we will achieve justice. Together, we will restore the Chantal Biya Foundation to its former glory, for the good of our children, for the honor of Cameroon.