South West: Dr Njikeng Tarsisuis decries hurdles of veterinary medicine practice.

Practicing under the Deluxe Animal Services Center in Buea, Dr. Njikeng said he has witnessed firsthand the tremendous difficulties that the veterinary medicine faces. 

According to Dr Njikeng, the “perception of the practice is a challenge as many slaughter their animals immediately they see signs of malfunctioning in them. They kill the animal without consulting the services of a veterinarian”.

He cited the lack of adequate infrastructure as another major handicap.  “We sometimes are left with no other choice other than to use the medical laboratories of our human medicine counterparts to run tests and perform surgery…,” Dr Njikeng stated.

The practice, he said, “is bad because the animal system is quite different from that of a human being”. 

He appealed that “veterinary medical practice should be provided with adequate infrastructure”, given that it is a field that is fast expanding in Cameroon.

He lamented that some unscrupulous persons passing for veterinarians have caused some members of the public to stay away from professionals. The situation, Dr Njikeng said, “…has further reduce public trust in the field”.

The Minster of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Dr Taiga, had in April 2024, called on stakeholders to respect the ethics guiding the veterinary medicine profession.

During the 2024 World Veterinary Day, the minister did not only highlight the role played by veterinarians in the fight against animal diseases but also in safe guarding public health.

This, he had said, is by combating zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

He had also called on all to accompany the vision of the Head of State Paul Biya as elaborated in the National Development Strategy, 2020-2030, SND30, to increase production, boost competitiveness of the sector.

By Cyprain Bekali, student journalist

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3547 of Thursday August 28, 2025