BHM Organizes First Ever Nurses Conference in CBC Health Services
“To go above and beyond the call of duty, the first to work and the last to leave, the heart and soul of caring, who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity”. That is who a Nurse is.
Over 200 nurses from Baptist Hospital Mutengene (BHM), representatives from all the departments of the hospital, representatives from satellite health centers (Kumba and Idenau Baptist Health Centers), special invitees including CBC Health Services retirees like Pa Gwagsi Stephen, Ma Gwagsi Esther and Ma Bama Monica turned out on October 27, 2023 at BHM auditorium in the Nurses Conference under the theme, “Our Nursing Yesterday, Our Nursing Today, What is the Future?” The conference was sponsored by the Director of Health Services (DHS), Prof. Tih Pius Muftih, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of BHM, Dr. Henry Ndasi, and the Administrator of BHM, Mr. Loke Samuel.
Chaplain Ngam Esther, head chaplain of BHM gave an exaltation from “Revelation 2:1-5, titled, “Reflect of the Past today and adjust tomorrow”. She said the Conference is dedicated to all the nurses of BHM to reflect on the good qualities of nurses of yesterday and what went wrong in the field of nurses today. The chaplain challenged the nurse to rebuke all forms of negativity in the field of nurses cry on to God for mercy, and then adjust for better patient care tomorrow.
According to the organizers of this Conference (BHM Nursing Office) led by the Supervisor of Nursing Services (SNS), Mrs. Yong Genevive said, “The purpose of this conference is to create awareness that nursing standards have actually fallen, look at what went wrong that caused the nursing standards to fall and lastly to see how to bridge the gaps in order to have a positive future for nursing and finally to elaborate on the importance of viewing nursing as a profession with a strong business mindset. We decided to organize this nursing conference to bring together every stakeholder on board who has anything to do with nursing; secondly, it is the first of its kind to happen in BHM and I hope that it will spread to the rest of the facilities throughout the CBCHS”.
The SNS noted that “Nursing yesterday was characterized by compassion, dedication, and tireless efforts to provide quality care to patients. Nurses have been the backbone of health care, delivering comfort and healing in times of great need, and owe gratitude to those who paved the way before us, shaping the profession into what it is today. Nursing is not just a vocation; it is an integral part of the healthcare industry. So, we must embrace the entrepreneurial spirit, seek innovative solutions, and desire positive change”.
To thrive in this evolving landscape, the SNS said, “We must equip ourselves with knowledge, skills, and a commitment to lifelong learning”. The speech captured all that was presented under the following topics: Who is a Nurse/ Midwife? Where were we? What went wrong? Nurses we are in business and the way forward.
Facilitators came from Mrs. Ndong Etheldreda, Mr. Nfu Charles, Mr. Edward Chuye, and Mr. Ndzi Eric who were members of the organizing committee. The SNS encouraged all the nurses to work together, embracing the past, the presence and fearlessly embracing the future.
Three retirees, Ma Bama Monica, Ma Gwagsi Esther, and Pa Gwagsi Stephen shared their experiences/ testimonies during their work life in a panel discussion coordinated by Ndong Etheldreda. The testimonies centered on what led them into the nursing profession, how they were able to cope with the maigre salary and still offer quality care to patients, not like today where most nurses spend time on social media, are rude to patients, sluggish behavior money minded, etc. Nurses were encouraged to work and take their profession as a calling to serve humanity with compassion and care above all with the fear of God.
The program was spiced with special presentations like singing and dancing with all the nurses dressed in their party wear. The conference ended with recommendations from participants as follows. Nursing conferences should be organized every year and in all CBC HS institutions. The staff appreciated the sponsors and organizers of the program and promised to be more committed and to improve on quality of care to all the patients.
Representing the Administrator and CMO who were unavoidably absent was the Assistant Administrator in charge of Personnel, Mr. Tosam Ephraim. He appreciated the sponsors and organizers of the conference and said the administration looks forward to seeing pronounced improvement in nursing care at BMH.