“I remind you that a bag of blood in our country costs 18,000 francs, while in a country like Benin, it costs 2,000 francs.”

Pr Tetanye Ekoe, Chairman of the Management Committee of the National Blood Transfusion Center.

You know that theNational Blood Transfusion Centeris not an NGO. It is an organization created by the Head of State and organized by a decree of the Head of State in 2019 and which empowers the CNTS to carry out all activities that make it possible to provide the entire population with absolutely verified, completely standardized blood, and at an absolutely affordable cost, accessible to the populations. Unfortunately for the CNTS, we find in front of us, a budget that we have been telling all our financial and technical supervisors for years that it is truly insufficient. We cannot carry out all the activities that allow the CNTS to control what is done in blood banks, the 479 banks in this country with the truly insufficient budget that is granted to us.

Therefore, we cannot be satisfied to see that last year’s budget was kept, but the members of the management committee are absolutely unanimous in saying that this budget does not allow the CNTS to carry out the activities that allow it to truly carry out its mission entrusted to it by the Head of State. Therefore, at the end of this agenda, we are justified in courteously, very courteously, calling upon our technical and financial supervisory authorities so that something is done to allow the CNTS to fully play its role, not only in promoting blood donation among the population, among the communities, but also to be able to ensure what are called haemovigilance activities that make it possible to secure the blood that is distributed in all the blood banks in this country, because we want these blood banks to distribute blood that is absolutely controlled, absolutely meeting international standards so that, indeed, we can tell the Head of State that the mission that you have entrusted to us is being carried out.

 Last year’s figures were 900 million francs. 900 million francs, the General Directorate could tell you in its own words, since it is responsible, I would say, for the executive nature of this budget. But 900 million francs, I assure you that this does not allow the General Directorate to carry out the activities, as I was telling you earlier, of hemovigilance, to monitor the activities of blood banks that distribute and collect blood, and to carry out what are called hemovigilance activities, isn’t it, and to carry out activities to promote blood donation. This means that we really need a budget that is commensurate with the ambitions that the Head of State has entrusted to us.

I could give you the example of a country like Benin, which has 13 million inhabitants, while we have nearly 35 million inhabitants. In Benin, the CNTS has an operating budget of more than 5 billion francs. Côte d’Ivoire has a budget of 15 billion francs, and Senegal has a budget of 10 billion francs. This means that, compared to other countries in the African sub-region, the country that saw us born and that entrusted us with this heavy mission cannot boast of being among the indomitable lions of the continent.

We hope that this high mission that the Head of State has entrusted to us, that we are helped to carry it out actively and effectively. There is only one way to do it. As the Director General said, we need the sinews of war. We need funds to be able to finance all these activities, pay the staff, pay the rent, provide fuel, operate, maintain the vehicles that allow us to travel in all the regions.

All the activities of the population require money, and the Director General does not have any. It is absolutely necessary that the State budget allows for the provision of safe, available blood to the population, accessible to all. I remind you that a blood bag in our country is sold at 18,000 francs, while in a country like Benin, it is 2,000 francs. This is not comparable. And we must absolutely, with the support that the Head of State has given us through the law and the decree that he is organizing for us, ensure that Cameroonians have safe, reliable blood that is affordable for everyone.

Interview by Mireille Siapje and transcribed by Charone Dongmo