German ear camp ends in Yaounde

A German medical mission operating children and young people to correct hearing defects has concluded its work at the Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital, YGOPH.

The mission lasted from June 14-21, 2015, operating 60 patients, the highest ever in three years. A Cameroonian medical doctor who trained and specialised in Germany, Dountsop Paulette, initiated the idea in 2013.

Today, she is Head of the Ear, Nose and Throat (otorhinolaryngology) Clinic of Dusseldorf Evangelical Hospital, Germany, which provides staff for the camp.

The mission is financed by a German foundation and patients only pay a token FCFA 50,000 for an operation that costs at least FCFA 600,000 – including medication and hospitalisation. The foundation also offers some equipment.

In the following interview, Prof. Uli Harréus, Head of the Otorhinolaryngology Department, Dusseldorf Evangelical Hospital, Germany, who led the mission, talks on its achievements and prospects.