Cameroon Medical Council : Dr Rodolphe Fonkoua elected 4th President

The CEO of the Idimed polyclinic was elected President of the Cameroon Medical Council on December 09, 2023 with 246 votes out of 535 cast at the Extraordinary General Meeting (AGEE) held at the Palais Polyvalent des Sports. Dr Fonkoua replaces Dr Guy Sandjon in this position and becomes the 4th president of CMC.

The medical advisor to the Archbishop of Douala will be tasked with restoring the dignity of doctors, campaigning for higher salaries and higher costs for medical procedures, reducing the period required for private practice to 3 years instead of 5, and promoting a Career Profile in the civil service, particularly in university hospitals, to combat nepotism and clientelism, among other things. 

After multiple dismissals, the Cameroon Medical Council has a new president.  The AGEE opened on December 09, 2023 at the Palais polyvalent des Sports, in an electric atmosphere marked by suspicions of ballot-box stuffing. A veto by the candidates led first to the expulsion of non-doctors, then of doctors whose names did not appear on the voters’ list, and finally to the outright rejection of proxies.

Following this consensus, the elections were opened. Doctor Jules Ndjebet was elected Chairman of the General Meeting, while Dr Marcus Eteme took over as Auditor. It was not until around 4 a.m. that the new Chairman of the Board was announced. Defying the odds, Dr Rodolphe Fonkoua won the election by an overwhelming majority. He obtained 246 votes out of the 535 validly cast. He thus becomes the 4th President of the Cameroon National Medical Council.

Restoring the dignity of the Cameroonian doctor

Hard-working, invested and unflappable, Dr Rodolphe Fonkoua is determined to work towards better integration of young doctors into the professional environment.   In this respect, the Medical Advisor to the Archbishop of Douala will introduce a course in ethics and deontology at the end of the cycle. Create a permanent unit to welcome and inform young doctors within the CMC secretariat. In addition, the Order will provide support in obtaining low-cost installation loans for young doctors and the creation of professional civil partnerships (SCP).

Improving living and working conditions for doctors

The CEO of Polyclinique Idimed will make the fight against unemployment among young doctors a challenge. “I’ll be calling an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss youth unemployment. I will advocate raising salaries and the cost of medical procedures. The repeal of decree PM 92-252 of July 6, 1992, which will lead to the creation of thousands of youth jobs. Reducing the period required for private practice from 5 to 3 years. The application of incentives to reduce the number of medical personnel in deserts. Free care for colleagues in public hospitals and preferential rates in private establishments”, reassures Dr Fonkoua.

For the protection of doctors in the exercise of their duties, the candidate for the Presidency of the Conseil de l’Ordre intends to ensure that the CMC roll is updated annually in March. Legal assistance for colleagues attacked in the exercise of their duties or taken to court. With regard to the promotion of quality medicine, the former member of the Council of the Order undertakes to organize regular medical days in Cameroon. Encouraging annual participation in continuing medical education. Negotiating with embassies to obtain professional visas. It will also focus on strengthening public-private partnerships.

To ensure transparency and speed in the processing of doctors’ files, “I propose digitizing procedures, with the possibility of tracking files. The abolition of the equivalence requirement for your diplomas from CAMES and COMMONWEALTH member countries, in compliance with reciprocity agreements”.

For a decent retirement and funeral

The creation of a supplementary pension fund and the purchase of funeral insurance for each doctor are part of these projects. The CMC’s effective and solemn participation in the funerals of all deceased colleagues will be a priority.

Focus on the diaspora

For greater involvement of the diaspora, “I propose: the intensification of ‘win-win’ cooperation. Building South-North bridges. Make it easier to obtain temporary work permits for short-term assignments within 48 hours,” he reassures us.

Transparent management, with monthly financial reporting, is also one of the projects of the former Medical Director at the Koumassi clinic in Douala.  The search for new sponsors and partners, and the construction of the Douala head office on a long-term lease will also be on the agenda. To humanize Onmc’s regalian missions and modernize its structures, “I propose a review of files every 2 months. A pedagogical approach for colleagues in difficulty during disciplinary hearings. The creation of new colleges within the board”, concludes the Candidate.

Who is Dr Rodolphe Fonkoua?

Born on December 07, 1953 in Douala, Dr Rodolphe Fonkoua obtained his baccalauréat série D in 1974. He flew to Côte d’Ivoire for his medical studies at the Abidjan Faculty of Medicine from 1974 to 1981. He completed a number of internships in diabetology at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Paris. He became a sports physician in 1982. Thanks to his self-sacrifice, he developed skills in occupational medicine in 1984, and in 2013, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in theology from the Institute of Religious Sciences at the Catholic University of Douala.

From 1981 to 1984, he worked as an internist in Oume and Yamoussoukro hospitals in Ivory Coast. On his return to Cameroon, he was Medical Director at the Koumassi Clinic in Douala for eight years (1984 to 1992). For fifteen years, he was a doctor at the Douala sports union. In 1983, he also set up the Clinique Idimed, now the Polyclinique Idimed, a multidisciplinary establishment employing around one hundred people, including twenty doctors, eighty-five (85) nurses, paramedics and others. He has worked for the Cameroon Medical Council for over 25 years, including 15 years as Representative of the Order for the Littoral and 10 years as Advisor. He is one of the country’s leading figures in the health sector.  He now has the responsibility of restoring dignity to doctors.

Joseph MBENG BOUM