To boost emergency health response: US donates two Mobile Field Hospitals worth 6.5 billion FCFA to MINDEF.

The Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the US Embassy in Yaounde, John G. Robinson, officially handed over the facilities to the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo.

The handing over ceremony held at the 101 Military Airbase in Yaounde yesterday. Several members of government, top brass of the military, the President of the Cameroon Red Cross, and the Delegate General for National Security, among others attended the ceremony. 

Donation celebrates enduring friendship 

In his address, the Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the US Embassy in Yaounde, John G. Robinson, said the donation is “one of the most tangible expressions” of the "enduring friendship" between both nations.

Robinson said the medical facilities are capable of being rapidly deployed to communities in crisis, in moments where hours matter and every life counts.

The Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the US Embassy used the event to salute the persistence, professionalism, dedication and collaboration between military officials of both nations who, he said, worked tirelessly to make the donation a reality.

He said the US personnel have already trained Cameroonians on how to use the facility and will help set up the hospitals, thereby mobilising the full power of the Cameroonian defense forces to serve its citizens. 

"At the end of several weeks of intensive training at Air Base 101, which concluded last week, your teams have demonstrated that they are ready to serve Cameroon through these hospitals," he said.

Robinson said the US is proud to be Cameroon's partner in "health security initiative" and believes in Cameroon's strength, institutions, and in the people who dedicate their lives to protecting and to serving their fellow citizens.

"Today, as we cut this ribbon, we celebrate what is possible when two nations stand together, united by shared values and a shared commitment to the wellbeing of the Cameroonian people," he stated.

Enter MINDEF boss

Speaking on behalf of the Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Paul Biya, Minister Beti Assomo expressed gratitude to the US government for the donation. 

He described the event as an occasion to "celebrate and honour the strong, long-standing, rich and fruitful defense and security cooperation between" the two nations.

The minister said the “invaluable gift is the manifestation of the unwavering commitment” of the US government; under President Donald Trump, which contributes to consolidate the sacred bond between the army and the nation in Cameroon. 

Beti Assomo added that the donation is a major boost to government’s efforts to counter the adverse effects of the various crises affecting the country. 

He cited Boko Haram terrorist attacks in the Far North Region, the criminal activities of a group of outlaws in the East, the Adamawa and the North Regions, and the separatist activities in the North West and South West Regions.

The minister said the important donation adds to numerous actions already carried out by the US government in support of the Cameroonian defense forces in recent years. 

He recalled the donation of two aircrafts to combat terrorism and violent extremism in the Northern Regions, as well as equipment of the three coastal surveillance operational centres in Douala, Limbe and Kribi, as part of the fight against maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

He said one of the two mobile hospitals will be deployed by civil-military technical teams to Maroua and the other in Yaounde. 

The minister said the one in Maroua will complement already existing emergency relief operation facilities for the benefit of the military and populations of the Adamawa, North and Far North Regions.

He announced that that in Yaounde will constitute a special intervention reserve that can be deployed as reinforcement to other Regions. He instructed all users to ensure its effective and efficient use, warning that any negligence or inappropriate use will not be tolerated. 

About the two mobile hospitals 

The Director of Military Health at MINDEF, Dr Colonel Obam Jean-Claude, explained that the two mobile field hospitals are intended for emergency health relief operations for forces on the fronts and for civilians during health incidents.

He said the two air-conditioned facilities comprise 14 hemispherical tents, with a height of 3.05 metres and a width of 6.10 metres. He said their installation can occupy space of almost the size of a football pitch.

The military medic said each of the hospital has a capacity of 54 inpatient beds; 50 for simple hospitalisation and four for intensive care. He noted that the capacity can be increased, when circumstances require, to 94 beds, with six for intensive care and 88 for simple hospitalisation.

Dr Colonel Obam said the tents are organised into modules of specialised technical units and fully equipped with machines to handle all types of interventions. 

The hospitals, he added, also boast of an operating theatre and a pharmacy, equipped with six shelves for storing medicines and medical consumables as well as a refrigerator.

Each of the hospitals are powered by two generators with a capacity of 300 kVA, added to 50 tables and 100 chairs for the needs of intervention personnel and the reception of victims, alongside cupboards dedicated to store relief equipment. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3834 of Wednesday July 01, 2026