Cardiovascular diseases are constantly increasing worldwide, and particularly in low-income countries. Amongst cardiovascular diseases, bradyarrhythmia is a true burden to the health care system due to its increasing prevalence with age and the cost of pacemaker implantation. As limited data is available on this subject in Cameroon, we conducted a retrospective study in 2016, with 147 participants with pacemaker indication.

Our results showed that patients with pacemaker indication are very symptomatic, that the main pacemaker indication was Complete Atrioventricular Bloc, and that 45% of our participants did not have access to a pacemaker and the main reason highlight was the cost of the intervention and the fear of the theatre. Considering all these, it was time to organise a health walk in association with the Cameroon Cardiac Society during the “4th hearth day”, in 2016. During this day, the Clinical Research Education Networking and Consultancy organized this health walk under the theme “one pacemaker, one life saved”.

This health walk was for the patients with pacemaker indication and the aim of this walk was to increase awareness of all Cameroonians, and all Africans about this pathology, and to let them know that the treatment exists and is available in Cameroon. Currently, CRENC is planning to create an Association for Patient Needing a Pacemaker in Cameroon to bring together these patients who for the most part is very old, poor and very often poorly informed about the nature of their pathology.