By Fabiola Kemegni
She was one of those detected with the Coronavirus and quarantined at the Olembe Isolation Centre.
Our source, whose only name we will give as Nathalie for fear of reprisal, narrated the experience she and those suspected of the COVID-19 lived through at the Olembe Quarantine Centre. For patients going through similar experiences, you may want to visit this page for more information on how to give patient feedback – the more feedback you give to your hospital the better chance they have of improving. Here’s Nathalie’s story:
“The quarantine period was two weeks of uncertainty and agony. Our living conditions were harsh and precarious to say the least, the food we were served left much to be desired. We were fed like dogs with food supplied to us in cartons. But after many complaints; the situation improved greatly.”
“Three of us were staying in separate rooms in the same apartment and we were provided a pot, frying pan, plate, cup, spoon, kettle and a bed sheet each for our daily use.,” she stated.
According to her, they spent the whole day doing virtually nothing, with some practicing physical activities while others spent time manipulating their smart phones. No visits were allowed, but relatives had the right to make brief stopovers and drop urgently needed items for their confined family members at the reception.
“I regarded this confinement period as a relaxing vacation, but I couldn’t have regular healthcare checks. For the two weeks I spent at Olembe, a sanitary team only came by once for screening. We received no specific treatment; rather we were kept aside and were ask to wait till the virus vanishes. We had to call our relatives to provide us with all sorts of concoctions such as ginger, garlic, lemon and boiled fever grass in order to recover from this virus.”
Nathalie stated that her situation was further compounded by the fact that she was staying in the same apartment with a diabetic patient, who was treated just like the other confined persons, despite the person’s health condition.
“Some of us recovered by the special grace of God, our fervent wish is for the Government of this country to invest in the healthcare system because our healthcare is really wanting. We also think that Cameroonian Diaspora should invest back home, but to do this, the Government must provide an enabling environment,” she stated.