Health

Chantal  Biya, Cameroon's First Lady will be inaugurating this Friday at noon, the newly constructed Hospital of research and application in endoscopic surgery and Human Reproduction (Chracerh) at  Ngousso district of Yaoundé, according to a statement from the civil cabinet.

Cameroon concord gathered that the foundation stone for the construction of the special hospital was laid back on the 1.12.1999. According to documents released to the press,the hospital, furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, is a specialised centre for the treatment of classic gynecology and obstetrics, outpatient, gynecological emergencies, cryoscopia, hysteroscopy , endoscopy, medical assistance for procreation, In vitro fertilization ,and the fight against infertility.

The hospital  has 6 operating theaters, including 4 for gynecological surgery.The services of specialty doctors for emergency care are available throughout on all days of the week.  

The hospital has ultra modern office space for doctors, as well as a cesarean section, a section  for In vitro fertilization , numerous laboratories,  delivery room, hospital rooms, a chapel, a mosque, a fitness  and  laundry room.

 Hopefully this will convince government officials to go there for treatment rather than being evacuated to France as it has always been the case. Another question that plaques the common Cameroonian is,will the services of such an ultra-expensive hospital be available to the average citizen?

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Jackson Tantoh

06.May.2016

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Millions struggle with tropical diseases causing blindness and other disabilities. DW talks to expert Martin Kollmann about getting vital drugs to the communities that need them the most - amid war, famine and unrest.
 The Uniting to Combat NTDs coalition has published its annual report on the progress of the 2012 London Declaration on neglected tropical diseases (NDTs). Around the world, over a billion of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people suffer from a range of NDTs. The global effort has focused on treating and eradicating 10 of them, including Chagas' diesease, trachoma, visceral leishmaniasis, leprosy and lymphatic filariasis.

DW: Professor Martin Kollmann, since 2012 there have been new efforts globally to fight, eradicate and also treat these diseases. Have much progress have we actually seen?

Martin Kollmann: I think we've seen fantastic progress since the London Declaration in 2012, when a very broad partnership of various stakeholders came together and made concrete pledges. The pharmaceutical sector pledged to donate drugs so that programs can become as cost effective as possible. We have the NGDOs, governments and funders coming together to make this happen and scale up efforts. And now we have a mechanism to actually track progress in a transparent way and hold each of the stakeholder groups accountable.
 Could you give us some examples of where there's been progress?

Particularly in the area of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, preventative chemotherapy and the distribution of donated drugs that are free have been fantastic. In Latin America, river blindness for example is on its way out. There are just six indigenous communities in the Amazon border area between Brazil and Venezuela that still have this disease. And we have very good treatment coverage now in Africa. Keep in mind that we've impacted countries like the South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Congo. These countries have unrest, war, famine, huge populations, migration, and year after year we've been able to get those donated drugs to affected communities with the help of NGOs like the Christian Blind Mission (CBM) and others. Now we are in a position to actually have a paradigm shift moving from control of some diseases to elimination. 

You've worked in Africa for many years - in Ethiopia, Kenya and many other countries. Can you give an example of what happens in a community where many people are affected by these diseases?

In river blindness you may have seen the image of a young child leading a blind father, mother, grandfather or grandmother on a stick. This child cannot go to school. As we prevent blindness in their parents and grandparents' generation, we actually give this child back a future. And if you go to these villages, in most parts of Africa you don't see new people going blind from river blindness anymore, and that is a fantastic success. But because the adult worm that produces the disease-causing baby worms live for many, many years, we need to deliver these drugs year after year. Despite war, famine and all the other catastrophes, the drugs need to be delivered to the entire community. And that has been done through this public-private partnership of health institutions in the most astonishingly successful way. That is why now these children have a chance to go to school - they have a future.

We've also seen whole villages that left their arable land around rivers where the black fly breeds - because they were "cursed" with blindness - can now go back and farm there again. So that's a typical example of the immense socio-economic impact that tackling NTDs can have.

 Where do you see the biggest challenges?

Oh, there are huge challenges. We've made fantastic progress, but by far not enough. In 2015, we should have reached 75 percent coverage in treatment of all the population globally to achieve our goals. But we need better data, we have to know better where the disease is in the various countries, then we need to identify the barriers - why didn't we achieve everything we wanted to achieve, despite all this fantastic progress in the past year? And how do we overcome these barriers to become even more effective than we already are? These are not so much neglected diseases, but diseases affecting neglected people, the poorest of the poor living in areas with weak health systems. In many cases there is a dire need for more tools and more research. And there has been little investment in the past because these people don't have any economic power. They don't have a voice. Do you think in your lifetime you will see a complete elimination of these neglected tropical diseases?

I'm very optimistic. We are aiming to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem by the year 2020, and we are on track to do this. But we have to scale up our efforts. We need to do more, we need more funding, we need more research. Latin America shows us that it is achievable, as well as the progress that we've seen in Africa. But initiatives can only succeed if you work in a really open, transparent and close partnership with national programs and communities. So rebels may move in, and the drugs that are not distributed might be hidden in a hole in the backyard until the rebels have moved away. Then they'll be dug out and the distribution continues. We need to use whatever means available to get drugs out, year after year, to the people who need them most. This is not about charity. It is about empowering people and boosting local capacity.

Professor Martin Kollmann is part of the NTD NGDO network (NNN) and senior adviser on neglected diseases for CBM, the Christian Blind Mission in Nairobi, Kenya. Kollmann is a medical doctor and eye diseases specialist. He also teaches at the University of Nairobi's Institute of Tropical and Infectious dieseases and serves as Chair of the International Coalition for Trachoma Control (ICTC) and on the board of the German Network against NTDs.

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

DW

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Elangwe Pauline

05.May.2016

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The Ministry of Public Health and a Canadian-based health technology company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding towards the creation of a mobile clinic.

According to the MoU signed this 27th April 2016, Cameroonians will receive technologically advanced and innovative healthcare services irrespective of their geographical location through the mobile clinic.

Public Health Minister, Andre Mama Fouda signed on behalf of Cameroon meanwhile the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian company signed on behalf of his enterprise.

This mobile clinic will come to improve on health systems in the country and provide emergency medical assistance to patients.

A nurse practitioner, registered nurse and a primary care assistant will staff the mobile clinic to conduct regular checkups and treat minor ailments.

CRTV

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Elangwe Pauline

30.Apr.2016

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The present state of the Yaounde General Hospital leaves much to be desired. The first referral hospital in the country is fast becoming like any normal hospital due to the poor state of infrastructure and other factors.

 At the Yaounde General Hospital yesterday, April 26, 2016, work was going on normally. Medical staff could be seen attending to patients and other needs. What has been the cause for worry over the years is the state of the infrastructure. In most parts of the hospital the paint on the walls is peeling off, most of the corridors are dark and patients have to wait for consultation in these corridors and obsolete equipment abounds. However, one patient who went to consult at the hospital said the hospital renders adequate health services in spite of the poor state of the infrastructure.

The Technical director of the Yaounde General Hospital, Kolo Jean Claude Philippe said since its creation in 1987, the hospital has faced a lot of degradation at the level of infrastructure. Due to lack of maintenance, there has been an accumulation of problems as far as infrastructure is concerned. The story is the same in all the domains. Water installations are worn out for a greater part and electrical installations that exist, no longer respect existing norms. The air conditioning system is as well outdated. Most of the equipment in the hospital has not yet been replaced and some are deteriorated. At the level of the equipment the problem is not only the need for new equipment, but to be able to meet the demands of modern technology. Kolo Jean Claude Philippe says these problems have badly affected the activities of the hospital although it still gives quality treatment. 

Efforts are being made to improve the state of the hospital and raise the health facility to modern standards. This is seen through the development plan between the Yaounde General Hospital and the State that went into effect in 2014 and that enabled the hospital to start resolving its problems. The Minister of Public Health, André Mama Fouda launched the emergency plan for the restructuring of the hospital on Monday, April 26, 2015. The rehabilitation work is in line with triennial emergency plan of action in the health domain.

According to the technical director, the emergency plan of action has come to strengthen the work started by the development plan. He expressed hope that in the short run or in one year the hospital will be profoundly renovated both at the level of infrastructure and equipment.

Cameroon Tribune

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Elangwe Pauline

27.Apr.2016

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Within the next four years, six nations in Africa – the region where malaria is most prominent – could be free of the disease, the World Health Organization said in a report published Monday to mark World Malaria Day.

The “Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030”, approved by the WHO last year, hoped to see an end to local transmission of malaria in at least 10 countries by 2020, but now the WHO estimates that 21 countries could achieve that goal, including six in Africa.

“Since the year 2000, malaria mortality rates have declined by 60% globally. In the WHO African Region, malaria mortality rates fell by 66% among all age groups and by 71% among children under 5 years,” the WHO said in a statement accompanying the report.

The six countries in Africa that could be rid of malaria by 2020 are Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Comoros, South Africa and Swaziland.

WHO says malaria infection rates are falling thanks to the use of insecticide-treated bed-nets, regular bug spraying inside dwellings and rapid diagnostic testing, though these techniques are becoming less effective as time goes on.

“The efficacy of the tools that secured the gains against malaria in the early years of this century is now threatened,” the WHO said. “Mosquito resistance to insecticides used in nets and indoor residual spraying is growing. So too is parasite resistance to a component of one of the most powerful antimalarial medicines.”

While the outlook is promising, the group cautioned that nearly half of the world’s population – around 3.2 billion people – are still at risk of contracting malaria. Just last year, 214 million new cases of malaria were reported in 95 countries. More than 400,000 people died from the disease.

The report says 9 out of ten deaths from malaria in 2015 came from sub-Saharan Africa.

Moving forward, the WHO said new technologies will need to be developed to deal with the disease and the fight will require strong political commitment and financing from governments.

“Reaching the goals of the ‘Global Technical Strategy’ will require a steep increase in global and domestic funding—from $2.5 billion today to an estimated $8.7 billion annually by 2030,” it said.

VOA

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Elangwe Pauline

25.Apr.2016

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Public Health Minister Andre Mama Fouda, April 18, commissioned the new Director of the Laquintinie Hospital Professor Louis Richard Njock into his functions.He takes over from Jean II Dissongo, sacked, following a Prime Ministerial Decree, April 12 exactly a month after the scandal at the health establishment.

Beyond the apparent euphoria that Dissongo was fired over the Monique Koumateke scandal, there is much expected from the Laquantinie hospital management.

The Minister of Public Health Andre Mama Fouda, in directives issued last month was quite conscious the public has lost confidence in public hospitals which he describes as places the public believe people visit to die. 

Poor reception of patients, lack of patient orientation within hospitals, delays in attending to patients, lack of compassion and extortion of all forms, are some of the issues Andre mama Fouda raised. Above the Minister’s directives, the new Laquantinie Hospital Management has the task to build public confidence in the hospital.

The general public expects to see how patients who are in emergency situations are treated without being demanded deposits, as it is done in most public hospitals in Cameroon.

Prof Njock is expected to take security of the hospital as a very seriously. The Koumateke scandal, to observers, poses the real question of security and guidance in hospitals and further questions  the use of police post within the hospital premises. The management must ensure that every staff of the hospital wears identification badges to facilitate the denunciation of unruly behavior.

There are also expectations that the slow pace at which payments are made to the hospital cashiers to the detriment of patients, are to be addressed.

“I don’t think anything would change. We need a change of mentality not the Director. Would the PM who appointed Njock be there to see the ill treatment of patients ? I doubt?, reacted a Douala resident .

Professor Njock who prior to his appointment served at the Edea Regional hospital in the Littoral Region, had said he would have to restructure the different services of Laquantinie for purpose of efficiency.

Other observers are questioning the role of the former director of the hospital Dr Fritz Ntone Ntone, (now Government Delegate to Douala) who remained silent over what happened at Laquantinie, given that he occupies the covetous post of the Director of hospital’s management board.

Meanwhile nothing is yet to filter as to when Monique Koumateke would be laid to rest. Family sources say they are still waiting for directives from government.

Follow this story and more on Solomon Amobo's Blog

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Solomon Amabo Amabo

18.Apr.2016

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