Situated in the heart of the West Regional capital along Nouvelle Route Evéché, Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre is experiencing a geometric increase in patient load due to the quality of care it offers to clients. The health centre officially went operational on September 1, 1999 with a patient load of 1,371 a year. At the end of 2008, the health centre’s patient load was 18,320. Testimonies of treated clients of the institution are playing major roles in pulling more and more clients to the health centre.

1. Mondays to Fridays: 07h00 to 15h00 (Cameroon time) with a nurse on call up to 18h00.
2. Saturdays: 07h00 to 12h00 with a nurse on call up to 16h00.
3. 2^nd Tuesday of the month: Doctors’ support visits from Mbingo Baptist Hospital.

 Staffing
Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre today has a staff strength of 27, up from 10 in 1999.  The centre has 2 Screeners and regular monthly doctors’ support visits from Mbingo Baptist Hospital every 2^nd Tuesday of the month.

Services Offered
The Health Centre offers clients the following healthcare services:

1. Dental Services
2. Laboratory
3. Injection and Dressing
4. Observation
5. Eye care
6. General Consultation (and referrals)
7. Antenatal (ANC) Services
8. Family Planning Services
9. HIV & AIDS Care
10. Pharmacy
11. Physiotherapy
12. Diabetes Clinic
13. Other support services
14. Projects
15. Click here to contact us

Dental Services
The Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre dental unit went operational on February 10, 2009. It is supervised by the main dental clinic based at Nkwen Baptist Health Centre in Bamenda, North West Region. The unit has one permanent staff (a Dental Assistant) backed by support visits from the CBCHB Supervisor of Dental Services (a Dental Surgeon) whenever need arises. The department sees an average of 78 cases per month. It is equipped with modern dental equipment and carries out the following activities:

1. Fillings
2. Facial veneers
3. Root canal therapy (RCT)
4. Extractions
5. Minor oral surgery
6. Dentures
7. Close reduction of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disposition
8. General cleanings (prophylaxis),
9.  Wiring of minor fractures
10. Oral Health Education on preventive dentistry, etc. Back to top^

Laboratory 
Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre Laboratory has 2 well trained staff that carry out the following tests:

1. HIV Screening, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
2. Collection of blood samples for CD4 cell counts
3. Kidney Function
4. Liver Function
5. Urethral Smear
6. Vaginal Smear
7. Complete Urine Analysis
8. Stool Analysis
9. Sputum Analysis
10. Electrolysis
11. Filarial Test
12. Malarial Test
13. Sickling Test
14. Blood Grouping
15. Occult Blood
16. Sperm Analysis
17. Pregnancy Tests
18. Etc. etc. Back to top^

Injection and Dressing
This department of the Health Centre offers diverse services to the population of Bafoussam as follows:

1. Administration of all types of injections to patients as prescribed by the doctor or screener.
2. Dressing of all types of wounds on patients. But wounds not responding to treatment are referred to hospitals for specialist attention.
3. Debridment
4. Male Circumcision
5. Minor surgeries
6. Infection control, etc. Back to top^

Observation
Due to lack of space, Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre is yet to begin offering in-patient services. Patients on drips whose conditions are not very critical are put under observation for a maximum of six hours and then discharged to return home and continue with the drugs they have been prescribed. Otherwise, they are referred to medical facilities with in-patient services for more care.  Back to top^

Eye care
The Eye Department of Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre has one permanent eye nurse whose services are reinforced by quarterly support visits from eye specialists from Mbingo Baptist Hospital (MBH). The eye nurse carries out regular eye consultations and refers difficult cases which cannot wait for doctors’ support visits to either MBH or Acha Bafoussam. The department is equipped with specialised instruments for eye care like the slit lamp, lens metre, schiotz tonometre, ophthalmoscope, etc. The average number of patients the department sees per month has sharply risen from 96 in November 2008 (the first month of creation) to 197 in April 2009.

1. Daily eye consultations (examinations)
2. Dispensing of glasses
3. Screening of diabetes patients for ocular complications
4. Eye health education and sensitisation to groups, etc.
5. Outreach services
6. School vision testing
7. Physical eye examinations for staff of the Health Centre
8. Referral of complicated cases to specialists at Mbingo Baptist Hospital or Acha Bafoussam. Back to top^

General Consultation (and referrals)
For now, Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre operates strictly on an outpatient basis. Screeners receive and examine patients, prescribe them drugs and they return home. However, cases evaluated as requiring longer and/or more specialist attention are referred to other health facilities with such services, especially Mbingo Baptist Hospital. Back to top^

Antenatal (ANC) Services
Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre does not offer maternity services for now. However, it provides expectant and would-be mothers adequate antenatal care that prepares them for safe delivery in any hospital of their choice.

Services in this department are scheduled as follows:

1. Antenatal Clinic (ANC): Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
2. Tuesdays: First visit (booking clinic)
3. Wednesdays: Revisits (follow-up visit)
4. Infant Welfare Clinics: Thursdays:
5. Weighing of infants
6. Child Vaccinations (daily)
7. Daily Devotion and Health Education to clients: 09:30 a.m.

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Family Planning Services
Family planning services are available in the Health Centre on daily basis. Almost all methods are offered. Back to top^

HIV & AIDS Care
Since Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre is not yet one of the government approved sites for the treatment of HIV & AIDS, its activities in the fight against the disease are limited to the following:

1. Training of service providers in PMTCT counselling
2. General supply of drugs and reagents to trained service providers to ensure the effective implementation of PMTCT services in their various sites.
3. Regular supervision visits to PMTCT sites to ensure effective and quality services.
4. General HIV Counselling and other psychosocial services
5. Voluntary counselling and testing for HIV
6. Premarital counselling

Pharmacy
The services of the Pharmacy Department include:

1. Drug compounding
2. Drug dispensing
3. Counselling and education of clients on drug usage, storage, their right sources and side effects on patients. Back to top^

Physiotherapy
Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre runs a Physiotherapy department that caters for the needs of clients. The department does the following:

1. Patient assessment and treatment, particularly cases of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries.
2. Orthotic intervention (splinting) and assessment of activities of daily living (ADL).
3. Physical rehabilitation
4. Evaluation of fitness and designing physical exercise programmes
5. Health education Back to top^

Diabetic Clinic
The centre runs a monthly diabetic clinic aimed at educating the public on the signs and symptoms of the disease, its complications and follow-up management. Back to top^

Other support services
Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre has 5 dynamic security guards who at all time are responsible for the reception of clients and ensuring their security and that of their belongings while they are within the premises of the health centre. They equally ensure the security of the health centre property at all times and the staff within the health centre premises and their property during working hours. The security guards equally run errands for the health centre.

Other functions at the health centre meant to complement those aimed at ensuring proper care of clients include the services of cleaners (housekeepers), drivers and registration (finance) clerks). Back to top^

Projects
Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre has three major projects:

1. Construction of a make-shift wooden structure to host the ultrasound unit, which the health centre intends to set up soon.
2. Renovate and paint the existing attached make-shift wooden structure.
3. Begin construction work on its permanent site situated directly opposite the present rented site as soon as funds are available.

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Contact

Bafoussam Baptist Health Centre
PO Box 952, Bafoussam
West Region
Tel: +237 7797 9370 / +237 3344 5142
Chief of Centre: +237 7740 5051
Email: bafoussamhc@cbchealthservices.org