A fire that swept through a major administrative building at the Bamenda Regional Hospital has destroyed several critical offices and hospital facilities, prompting government authorities to order an urgent damage assessment and reconstruction while assuring the public that healthcare services will continue uninterrupted.
The fire broke out around midnight on the night of Monday, 29 June, into Tuesday, engulfing the hospital's Multipurpose Department, a strategic administrative complex described by hospital authorities as the "heart" of the institution. Despite the extensive material damage, no lives were lost and no patients were injured.
Speaking at the scene, the Director of the Bamenda Regional Hospital, Dr Denis Nsame, described the incident as a devastating setback for one of the region's most important referral health facilities.
"The Multipurpose Department is actually the brain or the heart of the hospital," he said, explaining that the building housed more than ten essential services, including the Medical Statistics Unit, the Office of the Medical Adviser, the General Supervisor's Office, the Multimedia Centre, the central drug store, the Social Affairs Unit, conference facilities and the hospital canteen.
According to teh Director, the Medical Statistics Unit plays a central role in transmitting health data to the Ministry of Public Health, while the Multimedia Centre supports electronic medical records and telemedicine, allowing specialists within and outside Cameroon to collaborate on patient care.
He said the absence of staff at the time of the fire prevented any loss of life, as the affected departments operate only during daytime hours.
"There was no human casualty... The alert only came when the roof was already in flames." Dr Nsame said.
He praised Army Rescue personnel, firefighters and hospital staff for their swift intervention, noting that many healthcare workers temporarily left their duties to rescue equipment and important materials from the burning building before the fire spread further.
Hospital management has since launched an inventory to establish the full extent of the losses while taking emergency measures to ensure continuity of services. Dr Nsame reassured patients that the hospital remains operational, adding that electronic data already backed up on cloud systems would enable continued communication with the Ministry of Public Health.
Chairperson of the Hospital Management Board and President of the North West Regional Assembly, Professor Fru Angwafo III, who visited the site shortly after the incident, acknowledged the significant damage to administrative infrastructure but stressed that patient care would not be disrupted.
Professor Fru Angwafo III added that some computer equipment and digital records had been salvaged, reducing the potential impact on hospital operations. He added that hospital management had already begun relocating affected services within the hospital to ensure patients continue receiving care.
Governor of the North West Region, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, also inspected the scene and confirmed that although the building sustained extensive damage, there were no human casualties. He attributed the successful containment of the fire to the rapid mobilisation of Army Rescue services, firefighters, hospital personnel and members of the public, who helped save equipment and documents before the flames consumed the building.
The Governor instructed the hospital administration to urgently compile an assessment of the damage and the priority rehabilitation needs so that funding could be mobilised for reconstruction.
He further encouraged hospital staff to remain focused on delivering healthcare services despite the setback.
The Minister of Public Health, Dr Malachie Manaouda, also reacted to the incident, announcing that a technical team from the ministry had been dispatched to Bamenda to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the damage.
In a statement, the Minister reassured residents of the North West Region that the Government was closely monitoring the situation and pledged that reconstruction would be carried out in a manner that responds to the hospital's actual needs.
"Under the strong leadership of the Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya, the Government will fully assume its responsibilities to restore quality healthcare services as quickly as possible," the Minister stated.
He further called for calm, coordination and unity among all stakeholders as efforts begin to restore the damaged infrastructure.
The Bamenda Regional Hospital serves as the principal referral health facility in the North West Region. Although the fire has severely affected key administrative functions, hospital authorities insist clinical services remain operational as emergency measures are put in place pending the reconstruction of the destroyed facilities.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
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