Nurses muzzled in Yaoundé

Activities at the l’Hôpital central de Yaoundé (Hcy) premises went back to normal yesterday morning after subprefect of the district of Yaoundé II released a pronouncement prohibiting all demonstrations at the Central Hospital. The wearing of a black ribbon around the forearm was no more and it was only the display of posters that attracted the attention of visitors.

These are posters by the decision of the Deputy Prefect of Yaoundé II that are plastered on the walls of the hospital and no nurse dares speak.

The decision taken by Ousmanou Yampen says: "people are banned in the district of Yaoundé II from gathering around the Yaoundé Central Hospital (Hcy) until further notice; any person who goes contrary to this decision will be a subject to the sanctions provided by law; by the Public Safety Commissioner of the 2nd and 11th districts, the brigade commander of the gendarmerie and the special commissioner Tsinga of Yaoundé II, each in his sphere, for the implementation of this Decision ... "

A note which follows a June 9 intended strike by the nurses in Yaoundé Central Hospital (Hcy) when police vehicles deterred them from continuing their movement. After several minutes of heated exchanges, strikers returned to their respective posts to avoid the risk of being beaten up with batons.

Immediately it was communicated that "everyone who still dares to speak to the press will be dismissed immediately, without any procedures. The right to strike does not exist in this country."

The University Hospital (Chu) in Yaoundé was also attacked in the same perspective. According to independent daily La Nouvelle Expression, the same scenario occurred at Laquintinie hospital in Douala. About 100 policemen besieged the strikers to distract them from their action.

A repressive phase that was already announced on June 4 during a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, Philemon Yang, attended by Minister of Health, Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reform and the representative of the Minister of Labour and Social Security, agreed that the case of the strike of medical staff will return to the table.

According to the statement issued after these meetings, examination of grievances of the Cameroon National Union of health , medical personnel (Synpems) and the National Union of staff of establishments / Health sector companies of Cameroon (Cap / Health) were reviewed.

When we went to press yesterday, a meeting between the presidents of Trade Unions (Synpems- Cap / Health), representatives of nurses in public hospitals and administration, stood still.