Gov’t Steps Up Fight Against CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE Commonly Referred To As, The ‘SILENT KILLER’

Public Health Minister, Dr MANAOUDA MALACHIE, Was In Buea On Thursday, August 21, 2025, to launch the National Chronic Kidney Disease Screening Campaign, Known As ‘CKD 30K Lives’.

“Those At Risk, Especially People With High Blood Pressure, Diabetes Or Obesity Will Not Only Be Tested, But Also Guided On Healthier Lifestyles, Proper Diets, And Medical Follow-up”.

Mobile Clinics And 20 Screening Sites To Be Set Up Across The Littoral And Southwest Regions

The Cameroon Government has stepped up the fight against Chronic Kidney Disease, which is commonly referred to in the public health domain as a ‘Silent Killer’ in the society. It was within this backdrop, that the Minister of Public Health, Dr Manaouda Malachie, was in the Southwest Regional Headquarters, Buea, on Thursday, August 21, 2025, where he launched  the National Chronic Kidney Disease Screening Campaign, known as ‘CKD 30k Lives’, concerning two regions, that is the Southwest and Littoral Regions.  The Cameroon Government’s immediate goal as regard the ‘CKD 30 k Lives’, targets the screening of 30.0000 people in the Littoral and Southwest Regions.

According to a social media post by the Chief of communication Unit (Chef CELCOM) of the Ministry of Public Health, Clavere NKEN, the Minister of Public Health, Dr  Manaouda Malachie, in a speech while launching the National Chronic Kidney Disease Screening Campaign, ‘CKD 30K Lives’, in Buea  on August 21, sounded the alarm bell, that there is a deadly disease  in our midst commonly called the ‘Silent Killer’ in the public health domain. It is the kidney disease.

Why Kidney Disease Is A ‘Silent Killer’

The Public Health Minister, Dr Manaouda Malachie, explained that the kidney disease is commonly referred to as a ‘Silent killer’, because unlike most diseases that’s show or signal symptoms at early stages, the kidney disease does not show any symptoms at the early stage, and is only discovered when the kidney is already failing.  Such a situation, leads to the patient having to do dialysis, the patient having to face with huge hospital bills, and the worst case scenario is the death of the patient. Such a tragedy could have been avoided, if the person had done a medical test for kidney disease early enough, and was thus diagnosed of the disease at its early stage, and treated.  “How many tragedies could have been avoided with simple test?”. The minister’s question echoed the painful stories of several people that have lost their love ones because they had kidney disease that went unnoticed for a longtime, and by the time they realized, it was too late.  Minister Manaouda Malachie thus urged all members of the public, to do regular kidney test, before it is too late.

Free And Accessible Care / Mobile Clinics And Screening Sites

The Minister of Public Health stated that barrier of cost which prevents some people from going to do the kidney test,  has been removed by the ‘CKD 30k Lives’ campaign, as the screening is  done free of charge. Minister Manaouda Malachie disclosed that mobile clinics and 20 screening sites will be set up across the Southwest and Littoral Regions, equipped with portable machines that can deliver test results in minutes.  He promised that: “Those at risk, especially people with high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity, will not only be tested, but also guided on healthier lifestyles, proper diets, and medical follow-up. No one will be left behind after screening”.

The Public Health Minister explained that the ‘CKD 30k Lives’ campaign is not the responsibility of the Government alone, for it is supposed to be a shared responsibility.  He appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders (pastors, priests, Imams), teachers, and families to strive to encouraged everyone to get tested of the ‘Silent Killer’, the kidney disease. “A simple conversation can convince someone to take the test and save a life”, he stressed. Minister Manaouda Malachie asserted that health workers too have an important role to play not just in carrying out tests for kidney disease, but in educating and reassuring the population as well.

It should be noted that during the preparatory phase of the ‘CKD  30k Lives’ campaign, over 3500 people were screened, and that the  results was a real cause for concern, as 4 out of 10 persons, or better still  40 % of those that were tested, “were found to be at moderate or severe risk”. Also, the majority of the 40 % were women, many of them breadwinners for their families.  One of the women, a 46 year old trader in Buea, said after getting her test result: “I thought I was healthy. Today I discovered I am at risk. I know I can change things before it is too late”. For her, the ‘CKD 30K Lives’ campaign is more than numbers. It is a lifetime.

Hope For The Future

According to the Chief of Communication at the Ministry of Public Health, Clavere Nken, the Minister of Public Health, Dr Manaouda Malachie, explained to the population that the ‘CKD 30K Lives’ campaign is part of Cameroon’s broader vision of Universal Health Coverage , ensuring that even the poorest have access to preventive care. “The campaign is not just about medicine, it is about equity, dignity and the belief that Cameroonian life matters. Beyond the immediate goal of screening 30,000 people, the Government intends to make kidney screening a routine part of the health system”, Public Health Minister, Dr Manaouda Malachie, asserted.

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