Society

Far North: Plan Cameroon offers district hospitals motorcycles to ease access to villages.

Recipients of motorcycles in Maroua

Eight motorcycles worth six million FCFA have been offered to some rural district hospitals in the Far North Region.
The gesture, which is that of Plan International Cameroon, is aimed at enhancing healthcare delivery to vulnerable children in rural communities. The motorcycles were handed to the district hospitals recently during a creminy in Maroua.

Community Health Workers are mostly the ones assigned to give out vaccines to children, distribute medication, and sometimes do consultation and screening in homes in many villages.

Implementing these tasks is not always easy because most houses in these rural communities are located in places that are extremely difficult to access with vehicles, especially in the rainy season.

The donated motorcycles will therefore help these health workers to implement their tasks with ease.

Representatives of the beneficiary hospitals were filled with joy and satisfaction.

One of them, Daniel Nahumta, a health worker in Fotokol District Hospital, said: “It is not easy to get to children in many localities here; more so in areas described as red zones like Fotokol. You can imagine when there are attacks that's when it becomes extremely difficult to reach out to families. I think the motorcycles will ease movement for us”.

Yapara Thecle, who represented the Far North Regional Delegate of Public Health, said: “The gesture is timely and we cannot over emphasise the role of community health workers in the region as they engage in the task of reaching out to many children to administer free drugs against malaria and other illnesses”.

While handing over the motorcycles to the recipients, officials at Plan International Cameroon said they are pleased to offer the motorbikes after a very long time that they have not done so.

Dandi Kiye, Emergency Response Manager at Plan International Cameroon, said: "It's been 10 years since we made such a donation. We are delighted to do so again with the help of Global Fund Support. We will continue to ameliorate the health of many children in the region. Therefore, the motorcycles should be put to good use by serving the purpose for which they have been offered”.

Plan International Cameroon said its remains committed to reaching out to the needs of children affected by crises and conflicts.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Issue No:3159 of Friday July 5, 2024