This archive report was first published on 25 June 2020.
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread in Cameroon, some health facilities are turning to telemedicine to reach patients who are afraid to visit hospitals in person.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Cameroon has reported 12,592 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 313 deaths, as of Wednesday.
Dr. Manaouda Malachie, Cameroon's Minister of Public Health, has reported a significant increase in patients fleeing health facilities, particularly in the towns of Bamenda, Bafoussam, Douala, and the capital Yaoundé.
Edwin Biyeh Abi, Country Manager of Unite for Health Foundation, a local NGO that assists Cameroonians to access healthcare, said that there has been a drastic decline in the number of patients visiting their health centres since the coronavirus figures soared.
Even pregnant women are not going for routine prenatal care visits, Abi said.
As a result, the organisation has resorted to telemedicine, allowing patients to consult with doctors remotely using their phones.
"We have decided to launch a telemedicine programme to permit those in the communities we serve to be able to use their phone and reach out to us either through direct phone call or video calls to consult with our doctors and get the best of advice on what to do about their health," Abi said.
The telemedicine programme will also be used to screen for and educate patients on Covid-19.
"We do not want to let the Covid-19 emergency separate pregnant women, mothers and children from our urgent, life-saving medical care or disease prevention programmes. Both are absolutely critical to the public health of thousands of Cameroonians," Abi said.
Several other health facilities, including Blessed Hand Clinic in Yaoundé, have also adopted telemedicine.
