This specialist in infectious diseases is the Director of the Regional Hospital in Limbe,also called Reference Hospital.
By Christopher Ambe
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| Dr.Kinge Njie Thompson |
In Cameroon for example, some achievers often sing their own praises-all in a bid to show off. "I have done what nobody to the best of my knowledge has done for decades", you may hear one of them boast. "Very few of us can really sacrifice for the development of this country", another may say.
Yes, boastful achievers abound.
But this is NOT the case with Cameroonian-born and Switzerland-trained Dr.Kinge NjieThompson, widely classed as a great professional achiever and patriot.
Aged 53 years, this medical doctor-a specialist in infectious diseases, who has been the Director of the Regional Hospital Limbe-Cameroon now for eight years (since September 2005 till date), can be rightly described as a quiet achiever. Unlike many achievers, a humble Dr.Kinge Njie is hesitant talking about what he has done to improve the lot of mankind because he believes that he still has much more to do if God gives him many more years.He is said to be a man of action and not words! Duty-consciousness
Upon assuming the prestigious but challenging office of Director of the Regional Hospital, which serves as the Reference Hospital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon, Dr. Kinge Njie made duty-consciousness, probity, discipline, cleanliness and stringency as the guiding principles of his management.
Today, many observers admit that Dr. Kinge Njie has succeeded- and is still succeeding to maintain high standards in the hospital because he is not only well-educated but a principled man. Critical Journalist and manager of Ocean City Radio Limbe said this about him. "I have known him for year's now.Dr. Kinge is a very good doctor and manager. He is also kind hearted"
But this specialist, when recently asked by journalists in his office the secret for his success, attributed to it first to team work. "The staff of this hospital is very committed, "he said, adding, "I try to simplify my work, to be polite, to help where and when necessary, and to be professional."
The Limbe Regional Hospital has a 200-bed capacity, 180 medical and paramedical personnel including 10 medical doctors of diverse specialties. The Hospital is also a treatment centre for HIV/AIDS patients; according to the Director, a cohort of over 3500 patients come there regularly to receive HIV treatment/drugs.
However, Dr.Kinge Njie expresses regrets that, many people are dying of AIDS due to high stigmatization despite facilities and drugs put in place by the Government of Cameroon to take good care of infected people.
As Director, Dr. Kinge Njie is responsible for the management of all financial, material and human resources of the hospital. But this specialist still finds time to consult patients.
"Some patients come here and insist to see but me for consultation," he told reporters recently who sought to know how he was handling the management of the health facility and consultation of patients.
As Director of the Hospital, the assigned missions of Dr.Kinge Njie include: offering quality health care to patients within the context of the facility; carrying out operational research intended to improve patient welfare and offering pedagogic support to training institutions of health personnel in the country. These, The Recorder gathered, Dr. Kinge Njie has been doing to the satisfaction of both the public and hierarchy. That is not to say he has not got critics. The Director says he likes constructive criticisms because they push him to work even harder to better achieve his plan of action.
A Professional Feat
In 1991, Dr. Kinge Njie, then still a general practitioner, performed a feat that has remained indelible in his memory. Then working as Medical Officer for the Divisional Hospital in Mamfe, he used nine hours in the theatre performing splenectomy (taking off the human spleen) on a boy whose spleen was shattered by gun bullets in an inter-tribal war and the latter was bleeding profusely. And an operation was the only option to save his life!
A courageous Dr. kinge Njie did the delicate operation, which otherwise should have been done by a specialist .He took the risk because Mamfe was inaccessible and any attempt to transport the bleeding patient to a specialist out of Mamfe Town would have led to the patient's death on the way. Bent on saving the boy's life, Dr.Kinge Njie ordered for his books and was reading while operating.
"Luckily, the operation was a success and the boy is today living, "he said, adding that it was God's miraculous intervention. Done by a specialist, such an operation should have taken far lesser hours.
Rich Training
Dr. Kinge Njie,who graduated as a Medical Doctor(general practitioner) from the University Centre for Health Sciences, Yaoundé in 1987 served the country in that capacity and held several other duty posts before travelling abroad to specialize in infectious diseases at the prestigious University of Geneva, Switzerland. He bagged not only a Specialist Certificate in Infectious Diseases but also a Diploma in Community Health Medicine during his years in the University of Geneva.
In 1990, he obtained a certificate after undergoing training on "Tropical Epidemiology and Statistics "by German Foundation for International Development, in Berlin, Germany.
In fact, from 1994 to 1999, Dr.Kinge Njie was among other functions, resident in Internal Medicine, Fellow Infectious Diseases, Fellow in Training: HIV Out-patient at University Hospitals Geneva, Switzerland
From 1997 to 1999, Dr Kinge Njie participated in several international scientific conferences on Fungal Infections, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Spain, Switzerland and the USA
From 2000 -2005, Dr.Kinge Njie was Medical Officer in Charge-Service of Infectious Disease, Central Hospital Yaounde, as well as WHO consultant on development of routine EPI programs and Introduction of New Vaccines (Eritrea and Central African Republic, Mauritania)
Dr.Kinge Njie ,who whose research domains include Public Health, Clinical Trials and Quality of care in Hospitalized Patients, has authored and co-authored several publications among which are: Know and Conquer AIDS (2003, book for public health education on HIV in Cameroon); Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Cameroon. Research in virology, 1999). Patriotism.
Dr. Kinge Njie is not only a fine health professional, but also very patriotic. He is on records to have been chosen as a special doctor to many high-ranking Cameroon officials including a long-serving prime minister .Dr. Kinge Njie recalls that, when ever he was attending to any of such VIPs, the issue of patriotism came to his mind. He considered these officials as very important assets to Cameroon -in terms of human resources and deemed that the loss of any due to preventable and treatable factors, would negatively impact on the country's development. Today, he is held in high esteem by these officials because of his professional consciousness and spirit of patriotism.
A Christian and married to a caring Frida Fangu Kinge, this responsible father of several children likes research, reading especially Christian literature and listening to music with good lyrics.
Dr. kinge Njie, who is Founder and Coordinator of the Fellowship Association for the Fight against AIDS in Cameroon (FAFAACAM), is also in engaged in philanthropic activities.
Dr. Kinge Njie's Life Goal
"My life goal is to remain totally committed to my vows as a medical doctor; to render my services to humanity especially to sick people, irrespective of racial or geographical boundaries," he states, adding, "I like to teach younger colleagues and participate actively in infectious diseases research"
Pre-university Education
Dr.kinge Njie had his pre-university education in: PBS Victoria where he got his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) in 1973; World Wide Secondary School,Muyuka where he passed the GCE O-Level in 1978 .He did high School studies at CCAST Bambili where he obtained his GCE A-Level in 1980.
With such a brilliant profile although not exhaustive, it would be unfair to say Dr.Kinge Njie,a native of Bova-in Buea subdivision, is not an exemplar.
(This profile also appears in The Recorder Newspaper,Cameroon of September 9,2013 )
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