CNN Hero Georges Bwelle is a doctor bringing free health care to rural villages in Cameroon. On weekends, he and a team of volunteers see hundreds of patients desperate for medical attention.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
In Cameroon, there is only one doctor for every 5,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. For comparison's sake, the ratio in the United States is one doctor for every 413 people.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
People walk for miles to see Bwelle and his team. Two out of five people in Cameroon live below the poverty line, and nearly three-quarters of the country's health-care spending is private.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
Each of these weekend clinics provides a variety of medical care. Many people are treated for malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition, diabetes, parasites and sexually transmitted diseases.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
In addition to holding these weekend clinics and working as a hospital surgeon in the capital of Yaounde, Bwelle also works nights at private medical clinics.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
"To make people laugh, to reduce the pain, that's why I'm doing this," said Bwelle, who spent much of his youth escorting his father to overcrowded clinics and hospitals that weren't equipped to help him.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
Bwelle works as a vascular surgeon in Yaounde's Central Hospital.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
Since 2008, Bwelle and his group of volunteers have helped nearly 32,000 people.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
At the weekend clinics, Bwelle and his team will do simple surgeries with local anesthesia. Operations are usually done in a schoolhouse, town hall or home.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
"I'm not sure when he sleeps," said Katie O'Malley, a young volunteer with Bwelle's group. "He is always either at the hospital or trying to make money for the organization so he can go on these campaigns."
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Bringing health care to the poor —
Bwelle's second job, working at private medical clinics, funds about 60% of his nonprofit, he said. The rest is covered by private donations.
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Bringing health care to the poor —
"I am so happy when I am doing this work," Bwelle said. "And I think about my father. I hope he sees what I am doing."
