Buea, Limbe regional hospitals: Orange Foundation invests over 28 million FCFA to boost healthcare.

Orange Cameroun, through Orange Foundation, in 2022 donated the money to the two major health facilities in the Region to strengthen the capacity of technical facilities, improve the care of the intensive care unit at the Buea Regional Hospital Annex and access to drinking water at the Limbe Regional Hospital.

Materials donated included: 10 Oxygen concentrators OXTM Model OX-10A, worth 10.2 million FCFA; ten 45Kg Chlorine units worth 200,000 FCFA and two electrocardiogram machines Biocare IE300 worth 1.3 million FCFA in Buea. The donations on the aggregate are worth 11,700,000 FCFA

In Limbe, Orange Foundation constructed a borehole and expanded the water storage capacity by building water tanks worth 16,818,175 FCFA. 

The borehole also included a water tank with a capacity of 25,000 litres and a solar pump to run the system.

To evaluate the donations, the Executive Secretary of the Orange Foundation, Elizabeth Ehabe, visited the said health facilities recently. 

She was at the Buea Regional Hospital Annex on Thursday February 15. On Friday February 16, Ehabe paid a similar visit to the Limbe Regional Hospital. She was accompanied by Orange Cameroun CSR Manager, Upar Ebongue.

Speaking to the press after her exchanges with the directors and staff of the two health facilities, Ehabe expressed joy that the donation from Orange Foundation were benefiting the population.

“We are happy to see that our donation has made a difference to this crucial health facilities in the region and that the equipment is properly managed and maintained in serving the population,” the Orange Foundation Executive Secretary stated.

In this light, she commended the two directors for ensuring that the population benefited freely from the donations. 

“The equipment is at the disposal of the patients free by the administration of these institutions, in contrast to what may happen in other facilities. I want to commend them because we are glad to have such partners that can ensure that the majority of the population feels the impact of our donations,” Ehabe also said.

Ehabe said they opted to donate to the facilities because they are the main referral hospitals in the region. The Anglophone crisis, she said, has forced many people in the rural areas to settle in Limbe and Buea. On this note, she said the equipment will benefit many people.

Directors on impact of Orange Foundation offer

The Director of Buea Regional Hospital Annex, Dr Martin Mokake, said the huge donation from the Orange Foundation had and continues to save lives daily in his facility.

The equipment donated, Dr Mokake said, has saved many lives and continues to do so daily. 

The oxygen concentrators, he said, are providing oxygen for needy patients and “we have been able to positively impact the lives of patients, carers, and the community in general thanks to these gifts”. 

Other patients, the Director said, have also benefitted through a drop in cost. The availability of oxygen concentrators, he disclosed, were crucial for patients with difficulty in breathing, in the theatres and many other scenarios.

On his part, the Director of Limbe Regional Hospital, Dr Annereke Nyenti, said the borehole was a stitch in time. 

“The borehole was a great donation and we appreciate it because it came at a time of acute shortage of water in the hospital because of the inadequate supply from CAMWATER,” he said. 

The donation, Dr Nyenti added, enabled them to reach their target of stocking 60,000 litres of water daily to support the hospital and its neighbouring communities. 

Given the huge facility’s water needs, the donation according to Dr Nyenti, has helped to strengthen their infection prevention and control system, which relies heavily on water.

Orange Foundation leading the way Corporate Social Responsibility

Orange Cameroun’s corporate philanthropy through the Orange Foundation focuses on three areas: health, education and solidarity. They aim to improve the autonomy and quality of life of people with autism, visual impairment, and hearing loss, combating social and sensory isolation, reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. 

It also has interest in giving women in precarious situations access to pre-and post-natal care, they need for themselves and their young offspring.