From Michael Ndi in Bamenda
Participants at the launching ceremony |
The Cameroon Baptist Convention health services has
officially launched a local capacity initiative aimed at putting in place a
robust system of health care. Presenting the project in Bamenda on Tuesday,
July 22, the project director, Tih Pius Muffih stressed that the launched local
capacity initiative project is one of the strategic approaches that aims at
boosting the intake of antenatal care, ANC and preventive mother-to-child
transmission, PMTCT services in the various health districts.
According to Tih, the CBC health board through the
local capacity initiative will create and strengthen support structures,
otherwise called dialogue structures in 30 districts to take an active part in
leading, supporting, co-financing and co-managing health care programs. “This
project targets mobilizing, engaging and strengthening stakeholders ranging
from district medical officers, district management teams, local councils and
traditional authorities to win and take the lead in defining their own quality
health care and working towards accomplishing it with resources mobilized by
them.”
Tih noted that the strategy aligns well with PEPFAR’S
focus on community engagement to enhance and optimize health service uptake and
the sustainability of health programs in resource-limited countries like
Cameroon.
The multitude of attendants who turned up for the
grand launching were informed that the approach to health care also ties with
the current drive towards decentralization of services to local councils.
The goal of the project is to build the capacities of
rural councils and district management teams through capacity building and
supervision for sustainable quality HIV and AIDS services in the North West and
South West regions given that the local capacity initiative project is a sub
project of HIV free North West and South West program.
The project also aims at mobilizing stakeholders to
take ownership of ANC/PMTCT services to ensure sustainability. It seeks to
revitalize and build the capacities of dialogue structures and rural councils
for good governance, co-financing and co-management for sustainability of
services.
While congratulating CBC health services for its
relentless efforts in fighting HIV/AIDS in the country, Dr. Odile who deputized
for the North West regional delegate of public health, expressed hope that at
the end of the day, there would be well and functional health management
committees with well-trained members to plan, implement and monitor health
activities within their districts.
“We expect district management teams to follow up to
ensure respect of good governance principles at all levels within the district
and local councils playing a more defined and coordinated role including health
care financing in the districts.” She also saw the improvement, monitoring and
documentation of the health outcome by district teams and district health
management committees empowered to monitor and ensure the smooth functioning of
facilities within the district.
The local capacity initiative project which will last
for three years will involve ten health districts of the North West and south West
regions. In the North West region, it will concern Ako, Benakuma, Mbengwi,
Tubah and Bafut while, Eyumojock, Konye, Wabane, Ekondo Titi and Bangem would
be the targets in the South West region.
In another vein, the project is not an independent
project as it aligns with the CDC/PEPFAR project. It is considered as a
strategy to further sustain the accomplishments of the main project, HIV Free
North West and South West.
The local councils and chiefs who are generally viewed
as custodians of the populations will through this project be involved and even
able to take the lead in planning, mobilizing, monitoring and participating in
health care financing.
One of the highlights of the occasion was the
presentation of over a dozen national
and international awards which CBC health services has bagged since 2011 to
2014. Amongst them were the awards from the U.S government, Cameroon’s ministry
of public health, North West regional delegation of public health and media
awards.
The CBC health board director used the opportunity to
eke out awards to Fon Chafah XI of Bangolan and the Lamido of Banyong for
promoting health services in their Fondom and lamidat.
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