Hon. Etombi undertakes free medication project

She is sponsoring treatment for patients of Versico Vaginal Fistulas in Limbe.

Women in Fako Division in particular and the South West in general, are all smiles following an altruistic initiative by Hon. Etombi Ikome Gladys, MP for the Fako East Constituency. She is sponsoring treatment for patients suffering from Versico Vaginal Fistulas, which is an abnormal after-birth medical complication whereby victims pass out urine uncontrollably.

After visiting some of the female patients at the Limbe Regional Hospital on Monday, Mrs. Etombi was satisfied with the team of medical experts for the treatment being carried out on five women. She told CT that the initiative is a personal effort that kicked-off with her announcement on March 8, 2014 during the International Women's Day celebrations.

She said screening started on March 25, 2014 and surgery kick-started on April 1, 2014 and is going on. "Five out of 10 patients have been screened and undergoing treatment. Four are still in hospital and one has been discharged. After surgery, stay in hospital lasts at least three weeks for follow-up and convalescence," she revealed.

The treatment which costs FCFA 300.000 per patient includes medical bills, drugs and surgery fees, amongst others. The free treatment project, she stated, touches women in her constituency and those of the South West Region. The funds for the project, she stressed, are personal, not parliamentary grants. She urged women who are suffering from the ailment to come for treatment and not to be shy.

Hon. Etombi Ikome Gladys pledged that the initiative will be ongoing throughout her parliamentary term. She called on sponsors to put hands on deck with her, "so that we can give back life to those women who are suffering. It is a means of reaching out the underprivileged and needy women suffering from this condition in the South West."