EARLY PERCEPTIONS OF A MEDICAL DOCTOR

How the people of my village determined who was a good medical doctor

Among the areas that have seen a marked increase in Cameroon since
independence is that of the clergy and our own national medical
doctors. When we grew up as little children, the number of Cameroonian
priests and doctors were few and far between. Today, the opposite is
true because nationals outnumber expatriate in the two domains.

However, when White doctors dominated, we who belonged to the Baforchu group of villages villages (Santa Mbei, Baba II, Banjah, Baforkum and Ngyen Mbo) had a way of approaching someone who had just returned from the hospital. The first question the patient was asked was:
"A ke docta baghe ze we ke docta firi-e?" which means, "Was it a White
doctor who saw you or a Black one"? If the patient said it was a Black Doctor, utter disappointment was expressed by the interlocutor and expressions of exasperation were
voiced such as "Was there really no White doctor to receive you that you were sent to
a Black one?"

But if the answer was that it was a White doctor, then the joy of the
relative was overwhelming. In fact such people at that point already
considered that their sick ones were well, just because they
were seen by a White doctor.

The next question was: "Mbe ne` refu`eh ke mbe  jzhum sa`a ?". That means,
“We you given drugs or were administered an injection administered an injection?”

If the answer was that there was no injection given, then the
interviewer was even angrier and would say something like: "If there
was no injection to be given, then what was the point of going to the
hospital?" However, that was then and this is now. The wide availability of our
own doctors has broken the myth and the stigma that prevailed in those
days.