- November 27, 2024
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Dr. Phillip Ndum, Florida Hospital Flagler oncologist, recently built a medical clinic in his home village, Ndebaya, in Cameroon, Africa. The Rev. Dennis Littleton, of First Baptist Church of Palm Coast, and Veronica Thorton, of the Rotary Club of Flagler County, accompanied him on his most recent trip.
The night before Ndum was to dedicate the clinic, he and his brother, Ojong Ndum, also a doctor, were called to the government medical facility.
The electricity was out, and the generator was out of gas. Guided only by the light of cell phones and battery-operated flashlights, the brothers manipulated a patient’s strangulated hernia back into the sack.
“This showed the extreme need of what we were doing there,” Littleton said.
With no pain medicine available, had Ndum not been there, the chances of surviving the 10-hour drive to another village were miniscule.
Ndum has spent the past three years building a clinic in Ndebaya. He saw the need to fill a medical void when he returned home to the village, five years ago, after his father’s death.
“My dad was almost the oldest in the village, at 77,” Ndum said.
The village, which has a high infant-mortality rate and a widespread belief in witchcraft, had no access to health care.
“Instead of spending money on a big funeral, I wanted to help the people and dispel the superstitious beliefs — and also to spread the gospel of Christ there,” said Ndum, who paid for the new medical center out of personal funds.
The Bigo Ndum Baptist Health Center, named for Ndum’s father, has two buildings: one for treatment and surgery and another for living quarters for staff.
During his most recent visit, Ndum turned the clinic over to Cameroon Baptist Health Services, of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, to ensure the center would be staffed regularly.
Thorton rounded out the Palm Coast threesome by bringing medical supplies to donate. Wheelchairs, walkers, canes, computers and glasses are still in the process of being distributed at the center.
But medicine is not the only way Ndum is giving back to his village. He also has set up a farm, where villagers can earn money by selling crops.
“They didn’t have many jobs,” Ndum said. “When they were sick, they had no money for medication. With this, if a farmer is making $100, they can save $80.”
Ndum plans to return to the center next year and is putting together a team of doctors and health professionals to accompany him.
“For Dr. Ndum to come to American and then have any relation back to his country is astounding,” Littleton said. “The respect people had for him was very eminent throughout. After 21 days, I really saw Doc in a brand new light, and I really appreciate his heart and his love for his people and they way he put that love in action.”
Contact Shanna Fortier at [email protected].
