Hopital Catholique Saint Jean de Dieu - YASSA, Cameroon
Our Works in YASSA
1) General Medicine (consultation)
The Origin of YASSA (How it all started)
St. John of God Catholic Health Centre Yassa is one of the health Institutions in the Japoma health
district of the Littoral Region run by the Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God. It is about 1 KM from
the Douala-Yaoundé highway.
Yassa is found in Douala three subdivision; Wouri Division of the Litoral Region of Cameroon.
It covers a surface area of 298 km. sq. with a population of about 1500 inhabitants. It is bounded to
the east by Bwang, to the west by Ngodi Bakoko, to the south by Yatchika and to the North by
Mbanga Bakoko villages. Patients come from all over these villages to our centre including other villages
like Manuka, Dibamba, Mbongo and all the other subdivisions of the Wouri Division. Most of these
villages are without Medical practitioners and most often private individuals have their Clinics where
they offer clinical services. The health centres and hospitals are mostly concentrated in the Douala city. The main activity of the people here is fishing and Subsistent agriculture and other petty business like “buyam sellam” and ‘hawking’. It’s also worth noting that the population of Douala (Wouri Division) is over 4 million people concentrated in all the 5 subdivisions. Yassa is seen as a conurbation in the Douala city given the rapid expansion of the city in few years to come.
The extension of services to Yassa was thanks to the prior and present generals and provincials (African Province) (Br. Pascal Piles Fernandez and Donatus Forkan; and Br. Simon BeKaar, Late Br. Patrick Nshamdze, Br. Robert Chakana and Br. Batholomew Kamara) respectively.
A piece of land was acquired in Yassa village under Japoma health district of Douala and a pioneer structure of 11 rooms and 3 external toilets was mounted.
On October 7th 2014 Br. Linus Tangu, provincial counselor and his team formally opened the doors of the newly constructed structure to the population for care. This was however with the financial and material contributions from Nguti, Boko, Batibo centres and other hospitaller communities. The structure today is divided as follows;
Hospitalization 3 rooms Male, Female and paediatric with seven beds in total
Maternity 1 room with one bed
Physiotherapy 1 room
Pharmacy/Reception 1 room
Nurse`s office 1 room
Laboratory 1 room
Consultation room 1 room
Store 1 room
Small theatre/delivery 1 rooms
Services rendered include outpatient consultation, inpatient, laboratory, physiotherapy, echography, minor surgery, delivery and Pharmacy.
Pastoral Care - Our new ideal in Healthcare
John of God, the founder of the Brothers of St John of God, following his conversion and his
dramatic experience in the psychiatric hospital in Granada, has bequeathed to us a new model
of care for the sick and needy. This model enables those in need to be welcomed in and
cared for, lovingly and comprehensively. This form of religious care, which is rooted in Christ as
the source of health and salvation provides for and the spiritual accompaniment of the sick
and needy, their families and our Co-workers. Therefore it forms an integral part of our hospitaller
mission in addition to being a “right of the sick”. “The religious care of the sick forms part of the
broader sphere of the pastoral care of the sick, that is to say, the presence and work of the Church
to take the word and the grace of Our Lord to those who are suffering and those who care for them”.
Castro, our Founder’s first biographer, said that, “John’s charitable work kept him busy all day long, and in the evening when he returned home however exhausted he might be, he never went to bed without first visiting ever patient, one by one, asking them how they had spent their day, how they were and what they needed, and in very loving language he would give them spiritual comfort and relief for their body” (Castro XIV). ). In a society which self-love is becoming increasingly more entrenched love for others, outreach to others and the capacity to listen to others must be developed.
The example set by Juan Ciudad shows us how to practise hospitality and perform the pastoral care of the sick witnessing to the Gospel among the sick and the needy and proclaiming the Word which gives meaning to the life of
believers. Juan Ciudad took in the abandoned poor, sick and crippled people he found in the
streets ministered corporal and spiritual care to them: “I wish to give you spiritual physician to heal your souls. Afterwards a cure for the body will be found.”(Castro XII).
Our age provides us with an opportunity to offer tangible and prophetic witness to the way the value of human life and the dignity of the human person are increasingly losing their meaning. This carries the risk that even our own structures and our Co-workers may lose their sensitivity as time passes, and our striving to perform a mission to foster the dignity and the sacred character of human life may also slacken. The Pastoral Care of the Sick is one of the ways in which the Church is present in the world of health care and welfare to treat and assist people, in order to accompany, evangelise and save them through Christ, the Good Samaritan of humanity.
It is the task of our Hospitaller Family which works in so many different parts of the world to set about providing very carefully prepared spiritual and religious assistants to the sick, their families and our co-workers.
Pastoral Care & Bioethics
Photo Library
Rev Br Robert Mackaloy and his team - 2016
Waiting loby for consultation - 2016
Patients awaiting consultation - 2016
The staff + superior - 2016
