Mission accomplished in Cameroon for Malaga-based charity: 178 patients undergo surgery

The César Ramírez Bisturí Solidario (charity scalpel) foundation has successfully completed its latest campaign in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. It is a collaborative initiative involving surgery in which eleven health professionals (six of them from Malaga) have worked tirelessly for fourteen days led by César Ramírez, president of the foundation.

During this time they managed to perform a total of 215 operations on 178 patients. This mission is being carried out in conjunction with the Unicaja foundation, the third time the two organisations have worked together, now totalling almost 500 operations in partnership.

In October last year the organisation visited Cameroon for the first time on its humanitarian mission. A total of 190 surgeries were done, but they were still not enough to meet the huge demand.

"The need there is insatiable. The more you go, the more people ask for operations. On this occasion we operated on 178 people, but we had more than 400 people signed up," said Ramírez, who would love to return to operate on the remaining patients, "but we have to save the free time we have and visit more places", he added.

The professionals who make up the team visit these places purely out of altruism. "Some ask for leave from work. And others, like me, who are self-employed, take a break to dedicate ourselves to this for as long as we can," said Ramírez, who embarked on the Bisturí Solidario adventure seven years ago to be able to do his bit in those countries that need it most. Since its creation, the foundation has carried out seventeen humanitarian campaigns.

On this last visit to the African continent, the group, led by Dr Ramírez, was made up of surgeons Pablo Muriel, Jaume Ortega and Marta Roldón, anaesthetists Javier Mora, Beatriz Fort and Sandra, nurses Francisco Gómez, Azahara Giraldo and Carlota Gómez plus Virginia León, a 4th year dentistry student.

Since their agreement in 2023, Fundación Unicaja and Bisturí Solidario have been working together on the latter foundation's medical missions, this being their third time for collaboration. Under this agreement Unicaja contributes to the organisation, management and medication of the patients who undergo surgery.

For this latest campaign in Yaoundé the Hefame Foundation (a Spanish cooperative that supports medical training projects) has also joined the initiative, covering part of the costs that arise from post-operative treatments and medical expenses arising both during and after the round of operations performed by Bisturí Solidario.

In addition to the aforementioned foundations, during the development of this latest mission, the organisation once again has relied on the collaboration of the local André Onana Foundation (a well-known footballer and charity supporter for his country, Cameroon).

In addition to the usual campaigns that Bisturí Solidario has been carrying out since its creation, the foundation has been involved for the last two years in providing for medical training and medical supplies for the African continent. They are currently financing, for example, studies in Uganda for a young man from Sierra Leone to train as a surgeon because in his native country there is no possibility of doing this training. Another example: they have purchased several ventilators to be able to operate with general anaesthesia (the first of them will be delivered this November to Nigeria).

"It is a bottomless pit. Cameroon is the poorest country in Africa and the minimum wage is eighty euros. With that amount you don't have access to healthcare. During our stay in the hospital, people arrived with ailments we cannot treat and the first thing they have to do is to go via the cashier," said Ramírez, his face saddened.

"Africa is a recurring desire to be of help in the minds of those who have known its need," said the surgeon, who is already planning his next return trip to the African continent later this year.