Funeral Ceremony:

Thousands Celebrate the Life of Dr. Chuwanga

By Walter Wilson Nana

A mammoth crowd of family members, friends, well wishers, colleagues in the medical and para-medical corps, former patients and admirers of the late Dr John Ndengue Chuwanga from across Cameroon and abroad came out on Saturday,  June 20 2020 to celebrate the iconic medic during his funeral and burial in Buea.

              

Late Dr. John Ndengue Chuwanga

  In a funeral mass in honour and for the repose of the gentle soul of the fine-quality Surgeon at the St. Anthony of Padua Church, Buea-Station, the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Buea, Mgr. Micheal Bibi in his homily, thanked God for the great life given to Dr. John Chuwanga, while praying God to open the gates of Heaven for him. To him, Dr Chuwanga is blessed because he died in the Lord, urging Christians not to take their lives for granted. “We’ve to prepare ourselves for death, for life is vanity,” the Prelate noted.

                According to Mgr. Bibi in order to rise with Christ, humanity has to do that via death, indicating that through Christ’s resurrection, he has transformed death. He mentioned that death is the end of man’s earthly journey.

                The flurry of eulogies that followed all described Dr Chuwanga as a fine-quality medic, passionate and selfless in his work, ever-ready-to-help and be at the service of his patients and community, a generous man, God-fearing, very prayerful and a loving father.

Dr. John Chuwanga was born on December 27 1956 in Tiko to Papa Lawrence Chuwanga from Bassap, Bafang and Mama Cecilia Chouomu from Babone, Bafang all of blessed memory.

                After a rich academic career that took him through primary school, from 1963 in Catholic School, Malende to Secondary School in 1968 in St. Joseph College, Sasse, Buea, high school in CCAS Kumba and thereafter the University of Calabar in Nigeria, where he settled for Medicine and subsequently specialized in Surgery, the young and energetic Dr Chuwanga returned to Cameroon to begin a fabulous career in the health sector. His multiple work stations included; Nkongsamba, Batcham, Wum, Limbe, Yaounde and Buea, where he retired. While a medical student in Nigeria, he had professional stints at the General Hospital in Bauchi State and at the Murtala Mohamed General Hospital in Kano State.

                During his career, Dr John Chuwanga also held a series of positions of responsibility. These included Chief of Service Emergency and Surgical Unit, Yaounde Central Hospital, the Director of the Buea Regional Hospital and the Southwest Regional Delegate of Public Health, before he retired in 2012.

                Following his retirement, the skillful Surgeon was enrolled into the Surgical Department of Mount Mary Hospital, Buea, where he served from April 2012 to April 2018. In 2016, he was given the authorization to run the Dr Chuwanga Clinic in Buea, whose motto is LUX IN TENEBRUS, which means LIGHT IN DARKNESS.

                Dr. Chuwanga died on March 25 2020 at the Douala General Hospital, following an illness he has been battling with for a while.

                He leaves behind his wife, Marie-Odette, his three children (all boys), family members and thousands of people he touched their lives in many ways to celebrate the goodness he did for mankind, especially in the area of medicine.