Dr Rodolphe Fonkoua voted Cameroon Medical Council boss.

The 70-year-old medic defeated six other candidates to emerge victorious. Dr Fonkoua received 246 out of 535 votes cast. He was closely followed by Prof Emmanuel Essomba who had 139 votes. There were three invalid votes.

Dr Fonkoua replaces Dr Guy Sandjon. Elected for a three-year term, Dr Fonkoua of the Idimed Polyclinic in Douala was voted on a campaign promise to ease integration of young doctors, ensure continuous  education for doctors, annual updating of the Council’s register and regular organization of medical days.

Speaking after being voted into office, the medic promised to govern the Cameroon Medical Council in line with the text in force. 

He vowed to ensure the “strict compliance with ethics, qualifications and competencies to ensure that” medics work professionally.

Dr Rodolphe Fonkoua in a nutshell

Born of December 7, 1953, the native of Bayangam in the West Region has several years of experience to his credit. 

He obtained his Baccalaureate in 1974 and later flew to Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, where he successfully obtained his Doctorate in Medicine in 1981.

He worked as a doctor in the hospitals of Oumé and Yamoussoukro in Côte d'Ivoire. Years later, he returned to Cameroon and worked as a doctor at a clinic in Koumassi in Douala. For 15 years, he served as medic for the Union Sportive of Douala.

He has been a member of the medical council for some two decades. That is from 1995 to 2005.  Dr Fonkoua served as Regional Representative of the Medical Council between from 2019 to 2022.

His creativity and entrepreneurial spirit led him to create the Clinique Idimed in 1993, which later became the Polyclinique Idimed in 2012. He currently heads the health establishment.

The health facility employs some 100 persons among them 80 nurses and some 20 medical doctors.

He is the owner of the very first hemodialysis centre in Douala which was opened on April 4, 2019. It was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute. He is married and father of nine children.