Introduction

The Ngaoundere Protestant Hospital, which is certainly the reference Hospital of all the health Facility in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon, (ELCC) is the fruit of a long fight and also with that, the proof of the abnegation and the faith of the first Missionaries.

History

In 1931 M. and Mrs. Endressen arrived in Ngaoundere coming from Madagascar where they were missionaries since 1922. M. Endressen was a Pastor while his wife was a Nurse. So, she all of the sudden started a medical work in Ngaoundere. This Medical work consisted of visiting the sick people at their homes and to treat them. Due to the impressively rising number of the sick people that were coming to her for treatment, she asked the Norwegian mission to build her a room for some in patients services for cases that needed observation. A house with grass roof containing two rooms was built for her work. One of the rooms was for male in patient services and the other room was for female in patient service. She also started a health education programs in the neighborhoods. She was teaching Hygiene, the prevention of some current sickness such as malaria, tuberculosis, intestinal worms and sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Unfortunately she fell sick in 1935 and was urgently evacuated to Norway. During that time the dispensary stayed closed. She came back three years later, meaning in 1938 and restarted her activities in the dispensary with more courage and more abnegation. Mrs. Endressen’s greatest wishes were that one day the Lord will permit the creation of a hospital in Ngaoundere. That’s how every evening she was going to the actual hospital’s site and prayed God so that a hospital can be built in that place. At that time the site had not been chosen yet. That prayed was exhausted by God, at the moment she was getting ready to go on vacation back in Norway with her husband in 1947. That year, the Norwegian Missionary Society (NMS) decided to send a qualified doctor to reinforced Mrs Endressen’s work. The chosen doctor, was Dr BERNT SIGURD Bjaanes, came then to Cameroon with his wife HELENE Ofstad in February 1947. One year later, and precisely the 1st of June 1948, M. JOHN Fosse was sent, he was Nurse and DIACRE.

The Intervention of the Sudan Mission (SM)

The SM had already talked in 1945 about the idea of collaborating with the Norwegian Missionary Society (NMS) and the Brethren Lutheran Mission (BLM) in the North of Cameroon for the creation of a common hospital, because she received enough money for the construction of a hospital. This hospital would be beneficial not only for the local population but also for the care of the missionaries of the three missions (NMS, SM, and BLM). Unfortunately the BLM found that the choice of the town of Ngaoundere was not going to be beneficial for her, since it was out of her reach. Still she did participate with the amount of 2000$ US (dollars) without really implicating herself in the project. The Idea on the other was finely welcomed by the NMS. The NMS, at that time was going thru a financial difficulties, but he accepted with a different thought that, the hospital be built in Meiganga. And also at the same time, the government had already begun the construction of a hospital in Meiganga and refused construction for another hospital in the same town. The project then failed. A year later, in 1946, it’s now the NMS that come back on this subject. The Norwegian Representative, the Rev Endressen proposed once again Meiganga, because he was convinced that the colonial admistration would oppose to the creation of a hospital in Ngaoundere, due to the week relation between them and the NMS. The American Representative, the Rev. Andersen was on his behalf wishing that hospital would be here in Ngaoundere. To put and end to their discussion, they went to pay a visit to the colonial administrator that was, against all expectation, favorable to the creation of a hospital in Ngaoundere. The NMS’ central direction was very glad to hear that decision and right away started the recruitment of the personnel. Only, the American missionaries who were blocked in the USA due to the world war, and that had not participated in the discussions, opposed themselves totally, clearly and strongly to the idea of having the hospital built in Ngaoundere instead of Meiganga. This decision was left down to the big indignation of the NMS that had decided to engage itself alone despite of her financial difficulties.

Evoluation of the health facility

The year 1948, truly ended up being the year of the grand opening of the Ngaoundere Protestant Hospital, with the presentation of the dispensaries drawn to the colonial authorities. That drawn was presented by the Norwegian Representative Rev.Endressen. The health team was also well reinforced with the arrival of the Dr Bjannes, and M. John Fosse the Registered Nurse from Norway. MM: OKALA, MBARDOUKA and HAMASELBE who were Cameroonians. Unfortunately MBARDOUKA, dies one year later and was replace by M. MOUSSA Martin. These three Cameroonians would be part of the first promotion of Nurse Students of 1954.

In 1949, the idea of the creation of the Protestant hospital of Ngaoundere was already well advanced. What was left to do was, to find the site where the hospital could be built. This hard task was left to Dr Bjannes, M. Fosse and M. Skauge. They chose the actual site of the Hospital. That same year the direction of NMS sent M. OVE Aasen, an Architect to start up the construction work for the house of Dr. Bjannes and the Hospital. He started building first the house of Dr. Bjannes, (actuel house of the director of the Hospital in 1950).

During that time, the Rev. Gunderson, the SM’s Representative died and was replaced by Dr. SYRDAL who threw back in the idea of collaborating with the NMS for the creation of a common hospital. He begged the SM to bury the axe of war, since the NMS had definitely opted to create that hospital in Ngaoundere on the SM’s initiative. They couldn’t stay behind. There fore there were lots of misunderstanding on the propositions of collaboration of the Dr. Syrdal. This is what would lead to the meeting held on the 2nd of February 1953 which helped to clear up things.

After that, what was left to do was to think then, about the financing of the project. Like said earlier, the SM had already received the money to build a hospital. But that money was not enough to build a big common hospital. In order the NMS’ financial situation was becoming more and more critical, and this was not allowing him to continue the financing of the construction of the hospital, even though the works had already begun. Under the propositions, of Rev. Pastor Keller’s the secretary of the Missions, a letter of help was sent to a French organization FIDES. The amount of 100 millions francs was asked, but only 2 882 000 francs were obtained. But, FIDES demanded that, it should be include in this hospital, a surgical service and a dental service.

During this time, an American named Young was in visiting Cameroon. He was a generous and very rich man. He directly promised to give the amount of 25 000 Dollars US for the construction of the hospital. Just like enchantment, the entire financial problem was resolved. That amount was so important to a certain point that it could not only build the entire hospital including the surgical service and the dental service like demanded by FIDES, but it could also build a training school for nurses, house for the doctors, and some houses for some nurses. And also, M. Young in his correspondence of the 20th of April 1954, promised to pay the running cost of the hospital for a minimal period of 5 years and a maximal period of 10 years. This gift came like a response to the multiple prayers that were raised up to God for a creation of a hospital in Ngaoundere.

A comity of construction was named to bring up the work to their end. That crew was composed of M. Oscar Noss (SM), Mlle Ada Kopstad(NMS). The use of the 25 000 dollars should be done as follows:

• Construction of 2 big buildings containing each 5 rooms for the African patients for the amount of 50 000francs.;
• Medical equipments for the amount of 305 000francs;
• A dental clinic for the amount of 500 000francs;
• Dental equipments for the amount of 500 000francs;
• A house for the dentists for the amount 720 000francs;
• A pavilion for the whites for the amount of 1 350 000 which would contain 4 in patient service rooms, 2 dining rooms, 4 bathrooms and toilets and a rooms for examination and for births;
• A chapel and a class room for the amount of 500 000 francs.

The ground, on which the hospital of Ngaoundere got built, was attributed to the Norwegian mission by the law N0 353 of the 24th of June 1949. The works were directed by M. Ove Aasen. (On the demand made to the governor of France in outer seas,) the high commissioner of the republic of Cameroon living in Yaoundé the 4th of September 1952 and in accordance with the drawn presented by M. ENDRESSEN, the question was to build a house and dependence, a dispensary (Central building), four in patient rooms, a sterilizing rooms, three rooms for the black personnel and the installation of the water pipes and sanitary fittings.

In 1956 the “Young foundation” had given a total amount of 48 000 dollars which allowed the building of a surgical pavilion, a dental clinic, the dentist’s residence, M. Aasen’s house, the hospital’s annex, two houses for the Nurses, a kitchen for the surgical pavilion, a room for the pressure group, ten in patient rooms and an office. All of this, went up to an amount of 41 600 dollars.

Personnel situation

The Ngaoundere Protestant Health has today more than 127 staff: