And one of the specific point in which most of them emphasize is cleanliness, because there are healthcare facilities in Cameroon that are no better than the marketplaces found in unsanitary surroundings. And if you tell to a low-income Cameroonian not to go there, he or she will answer by saying this: "If I don't go there, where else can I go?" he will go to these kind of healthcare establishment because, the prices are affordable. And if it is true that some public and private healthcare facilities were established specifically for this kind of people, the dilapidated appearance of many of them often leads some people to question the quality of care provided. This is precisely why, aware of the fact that, it is where some of their colleagues focus much their efforts, to build a better reputation, some healthcare establishment’s directors place a strong emphasis on cleanliness. Furthermore, if some healthcare facilities indirectly make their customers pay for the maintaining of their premises and surroundings, others seize this opportunity to improve the appearance of their healthcare establishment’s, without adding the cost of the maintenance of their premises on their patient’s bills. And that is how they succeed to attract the favour of some customers, because an affordable healthcare, delivered by qualified professionals, in a pleasant environment, and in a Territory where living conditions are harsh, is simply higher-quality care.
That is why, even public facilities in Cameroon, formerly notorious for being dirty, have made significant efforts in that point, in a Territory where the number of healthcare facilities is proliferating at a rate comparable to that of illegal schools, driven by ever-increasing demand, linked to population growth. And one of the major environmental consequence of this unchecked expansion is the presence of medical waste from certain healthcare facilities at various dump sites whether authorized or makeshift, in a Territory where some healthcare facilities dump their medical waste in the same locations used by the general public, taking advantage of the lack of strict regulations regarding waste collection in Cameroon. Indeed, since a site is designated as a dumping site, anyone feels free to dump whatever he or she want there. But it should not be like this.
The fact that a specific location is known as a waste disposal site, does not mean that everyone should throw his or her garbage or waste there. Indeed, the presence of household waste at haphazard dumping spots, creates a mental health issue. And when healthcare facilities also dump their waste there, it exacerbates this mental health problem, because if the public is generally prohibited to throwing garbage on sidewalks and roadways, this prohibition applies doubly to those healthcare facilities which throw their waste at the same sites used by the general public.
Even if they are not perfect, and even if they have been constructed on a very vast space or not, a healthcare establishment symbolizes well-being. It signify that, such establishment should not contribute to give mental health problem or physical illnesses, especially in Territory where many are those people who spend long hours each day at waste disposal sites, scavenging for items to resell. And when we know that much of the medical waste we have seen in makeshift or official dumps, were not even packaged, but dumped on open sight as vegetable peelings, it is important to mention that, those who spend most of their time to scavenge items to resell, must be very vigilant because, they risk coming into contact with hazardous materials, given that they are working every days without protection. And if they fall ill, the consequences can be fatal especially for children whose parents do not have means to pay for necessary medical care.
Such things cannot happen where strict regulations are in place because, even if certain old habits have a very hard skin in Cameroon, Cameroonians are capable of acting responsibly, when faced with serious matters. But when laxity gives the impression that, everybody have the right to do anything, people take advantage of the situation to act recklessly, given that, this situation allows them to both worsen the problem, and call upon the government to shoulder or take on its responsibilities.
And even though some may choose times when no one is watching, to behave like lawbreakers, it must be said that, Cameroonians are, in fact, capable of respecting prohibitions. Indeed, we know of several locations where signs prohibiting illegal dumping have been heeded or respected by the public, not only due to the threat of legal action, but also because of the financial fines. Similar signage should be installed at authorized dump sites, for those healthcare facilities which choose to engage in practices that threated the mental health of population. And even if by acting like this, their objective is not to threat the mental health of people, their actions negatively impact the health of many Cameroonians.
The advanced state of disrepair of certain healthcare facilities particularly in Cameroon, has fostered a stereotype among the public that, poorly maintained facilities are the only ones suitable for society’s most vulnerable groups.
Many healthcare facilities struggle to maintain their premises, and properly manage the waste generated by their revenue-generating activities. Whether private or public, operating legally or clandestinely, the poor practices and habits exhibited by some of these facilities demonstrate how a lack of motivation and planning can lead a service to focus solely on the patient, and the pursuit of profit, while relegating to the background or entirely disregarding an equally crucial aspect: the sanitation of the workspace and its surroundings. Indeed, if health standards were to be scrupulously enforced, the number of healthcare facilities failing to meet regulatory requirements would be staggering or astounding. Strict enforcement of the law in a context where demand vastly outstrips or surpasses the quality and quantity of services offered, would have catastrophic social consequences.
One cannot plan the construction of a health centre, without also planning for its maintenance and waste management. A sanitary environment is essential for the delivery of quality care. If we are not for the closure of a healthcare establishment, even when some of them deserve to be closed, we instead encourage improvements of waste management and sanitation systems, so that the care extends the level of individual, to also take in account his living milieu.
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