The instructions were handed over to the Minister of Public Health Thursday at the end of a 260-minute cabinet meeting at the auditorium of the Prime Minister’s Office attended by Ministers of State, Ministers and Ministers-Delegate.

Fouda Séraphin Magloire, Secretary General of the Prime Minister’s Office in a dispatch said the PM ordered the Minister of Public Health to among other things speed up the work of setting up specialized health facilities dedicated to the handling of COVID-19.

“At the end of the discussions that followed, the Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Public Health, among other things, to speed up the work of setting up out and equipping health care units and centres dedicated to the treatment of COVID-19 patients, within a view to improving patient care,” said Fouda.

“He was also instructed to publish the list of public and private health facilities authorized to care for people infected with the coronavirus.”

A lot of anarchy has been observed in the treatment and handling of COVID-19 cases, with some health facilities seizing the opportunity to make quick money.

Marie O. Polyclinic, a health structure located in Cameroon’s economic capital – Douala, was closed on the instructions of Public Health Minister Dr. Manaouda Malachie on May 14, three days after a COVID-19 patient reportedly died in the facility.

Although the state says it covers all expenses associated with COVID-19 treatment, the polyclinic, Minister Manaouda said, issued a FCFA 6 million bill to the family of the diseased COVID-19 patient. Aside issuing such an exorbitant bill, the hospital administration violated decree no. 041/CAB/ PM of April 20, 2020 on the creation and functioning of special COVID-19 Centres.

At Thursday’s cabinet meeting, the Minister of Public Health presented the epidemiological situation related to the coronavirus pandemic. He stated that the increase in the number of patients in recent weeks is mainly due to the laxity observed in the application of barrier gestures, the concealment of infected persons and the clandestine admission of patients in health facilities not qualified to treat people infected with the coronavirus.

In order to increase the capacity to care for COVID-19 patients, specialized treatment centers have been set up in all Regions and will be operational in the days ahead, Malachie is quoted as saying. “The technical facilities of health districts are also expected to be strengthened to improve the management of cases of COVID-19 in rural areas.”

As we went to press, Cameroon had confirmed 5,659 cases of COVID-19, with 3441 recoveries and 185 deaths.