YGOPH celebrates 24 years of caring for women and children

On 28 March 2002, President Paul Biya inaugurated the Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital in Ngousso, in the presence of China’s Vice-Minister of Public Health. Twenty-four years later, YGOPH has become a reference for the care of women and children in Cameroon. On this anniversary, we look back at the path travelled and thank everyone who has made it possible.

From an idea to a hospital

The story began in Beijing on 26 October 1993, when President Paul Biya signed an agreement with China to build and equip a paediatric hospital in Yaoundé. A later session of the China–Cameroon Mixed Commission extended the project to gynaecology and obstetrics, creating a hospital dedicated to both mothers and children.

• 7 May 1998: the Prime Minister lays the foundation stone.
• 24 September 2001: a presidential decree creates YGOPH.
• 28 March 2002: the hospital is inaugurated by the Head of State.
• 29 March 2002: the hospital opens its doors with a day of free consultations. The first four services are emergencies, intensive care, the laboratory and radiology.

Milestones along the way

• 2003: the hospital’s first General Manager is appointed.
• 2012: a new management team and the first Board of Directors are appointed. In November, YGOPH hosts the first cleft lip and palate campaign of the Synergies Africaines–Smile Train partnership: 64 patients are operated on.
• 2015: the hospital adopts performance-based management.
• 2016: 627 free cataract operations are carried out with a Chinese medical team at YGOPH and Mbalmayo during the Brightness Action campaign.
• 2017: our kangaroo mother care unit for premature babies opens, with the Fondation Kangourou Cameroun.
• 2018: a new decree reorganises the hospital, and the Chinese doctors are formally integrated into its staff.
• 2021: YGOPH hosts the first training in traditional Chinese medicine ever held in Cameroon.
• 2022: our gynaecological and paediatric oncology service becomes operational.
• 2024: Dr Che Kingsley Soh is appointed General Manager.
• 2025: new payment windows, a new waiting room in gynaecology, two free cleft campaigns, and roof and renovation works; China–Cameroon medical cooperation celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Leaders who shaped YGOPH

We pay tribute to those who have led the hospital as General Manager: the late Prof. Doh Anderson Sama (2003–2012), Prof. Angwafo III Fru Fobuzshi (2012–2021) and Prof. Robinson Mbu Enow (2021–2024). Since December 2024, Dr Che Kingsley Soh has led YGOPH with priorities focused on the quality of care, a better welcome for patients, renovated buildings and motivated teams.

YGOPH today

YGOPH is a first-category public referral hospital and a teaching hospital of the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Yaoundé I. With 226 beds and 23 services, it offers care ranging from antenatal consultations and childbirth to neonatal care, paediatric surgery, cancer care, eye care and acupuncture. To give an idea of the scale of our work, in 2018 alone our teams carried out:

• more than 83,000 consultations;
• nearly 10,800 antenatal consultations;
• almost 41,000 vaccinations.

Behind these figures are thousands of mothers, babies and families, and the experience our staff have gained over the years, much of it alongside our Chinese partners.

“The greatest benefit for Cameroon over these 50 years is the experience we have acquired.”

— Eunice Nchang, head of unit at YGOPH, speaking about China–Cameroon medical cooperation in July 2025 (translated from French)

The road ahead

Twenty-four years is both a long journey and a young age for a hospital. Our ambitions remain those set for the hospital: to offer every woman and child safe, high-quality care, to be a centre of excellence in gynaecology, paediatrics and oncology, and to reduce the need for patients to travel abroad for treatment.

None of this would be possible without our staff, our partners in Cameroon and abroad, and the patients and families who place their trust in us every day. Thank you.

Celebrate with us by sharing this story, and help us write the next chapter: partner with us, make a donation or simply book your next appointment at YGOPH. You can reach us on (+237) 670 607 278 or at contact@hgopy.cm.

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