With gratitude to the Head of State, he says he will work to improve healthcare in the country.

Some few minutes after his appointment as the new director of the Yaounde Central Hospital, Dr Pierre Joseph Fouda expressed gratitude to the Head of State for the confidence he has placed on him to direct an institution which the President of the Republic holds close to his heart. Stating that he has just heard the appointment, the seasoned urologist, Dr Pierre Joseph Fouda said "it is a good responsibility given to me and I am not going to abuse the confidence placed on me especially as it is the wish of the Head of State to see that all Cameroonians have access to better health care". He replaces Prof. Bella Assumpta.

Until his appointment yesterday as the Director of the Yaounde Central Hospital, Dr Fouda was the Administrator of the "Chantal Biya" International Reference Centre for Research on HIV and AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB). Since 2008, he headed HIV research works at CIRCB. Being the current director of the Yaounde Central Hospital, Dr Fouda says there is a good link between the hospital and the research centre because research carried out at CIRCB is applied to patients in hospitals and the Yaounde Central Hospital is one of them.

For a start, Dr Fouda says he will begin by making a field appreciation of the situation at the Yaounde Central Hospital.

According to him, it is not time to talk about challenges for he will first of all meet with the different doctors, nurses and other personnel at the Yaounde Central Hospital to assess the work at hand and set out strategies to accomplish them. From his appointment as director of Yaounde Central Hospital, one could say a square peg has been put in a square hold given that since 1997, Dr Pierre Joseph Fouda has been working as Head of the Andrology service of the Yaounde Central Hospital.

The 58-year old urologist masters the medical field in the country. After obtaining his degree in medicine from the Yaounde University Teaching Hospital (CUSS), he went to France for specialisation. Upon his return to the country, he worked in Maroua in the Far-North Region and later at the Efoulan District Hospital. Dr Fouda, who is married with several children, is also one of the experts working with the African Synergy against AIDS and Suffering.