A medical certificate in Cameroon is an essential document for all citizens and foreigners residing in Cameroon.
What is a Medical Certificate?
A medical certificate is a relatively short form duly filled out by a healthcare professional and provided to the employer or individual to establish or rule out a patient or family member's medical condition.
Why are medical certificates required or issued in Cameroon?
Medical certificates are needed in Cameroon for the following purposes:
- To seek a job or employment.
- To apply for admission to professional schools or Universities in Cameroon.
- To apply for 'Concours' or competitive entrance exams.
- To certify fitness at work.
- To apply for a Visa or immigration at the various embassies in Cameroon, such as the US embassy. Also, eligible DV lottery winners must get a valid medical certificate.
- For insurance purposes.
- To obtain work leave.
Suggested: How to Get a Birth Certificate in Cameroon?
Getting a Medical certificate in Cameroon: The typical unfortunate scenario
Awa Cheng is stunned on Tuesday morning in a nearby hospital: The young man who went to the Regional Hospital in Bamenda to obtain a medical certificate has just obtained this document within two minutes.
He narrates, ' they took my national identity card, then put my name on the printout, and finally, stamps were affixed to the document before giving it to me".
However, on the medical document, the doctor certifies having indeed examined the person concerned. I certify "to have examined this day the named Awa Cheng who does not suffer from any medical affection," one can read.
No doubt this is an act of conjuring! From the opinion of many informed persons, this document is generally issued without prior consultation. Although this is a serious breach of medical ethics, the practice has become commonplace in state hospitals and even approved clinics.
What the CMC Says
For the Secretary-General of Cameroon Medical Council (CMC), “for the love of money, some professionals of the medical corps go so far as to fake the state of health as desired by the patient." This is a bad practice that must be abandoned.
Indeed, the official health document that provides information on a person's state of health or medical certification should not be carried out inappropriately.
Read Health Insurance in Cameroon.
How to Obtain a Medical Certificate in Cameroon?
To get a valid medical certificate in Cameroon, one must do the following:
- The interested party must go to a hospital with his or her identity card, Cameroonian passport, or other official identification documents.
- He or she then provides the sum of 900 FCFA ($1.8) representing the costs of the printed certificate and 600 FCFA - 2000 FCFA as consultation fees to meet with a medical doctor.
- Depending on the subject of the request for the medical certificate, the individual is examined, and laboratory investigations are demanded where necessary.
- After a satisfactory assessment of the person, the doctor then issues a valid medical certificate for eventual use.
How Much Does it Cost to Get a Medical Certificate in Cameroon?
- Consultation Fees: 600 FCFA.
- Cost of a printed medical certificate: 900 FCFA.