Several patients with bodily and facial deformities arrive at the military hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital, where a campaign offering free corrective surgery is taking place.
Fabrice Etoundi is one of the patients who wants a bothersome tumour on his face removed.
“Because you can’t go unnoticed, I feel very stigmatised. Whenever you walk, all eyes are on you,” Etoundi stated.
According to the World Health Organization, 7.9% of mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa is related to congenital deformities. In Cameroon, many patients who need corrective surgery come from poor families who lack the means to pay for their treatment.