CBC Health Services Strengthens Measures to Combat Coronavirus
As the number of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases soars across the globe, there are fears in limited-resource countries like Cameroon as to how to curb the spread of the pandemic.
Less than half of the country’s population has access to quality health care and clean portable water, a big threat to manage the disease outbreak.
The country already has about 1000 active cases of coronavirus and 21 deaths just within March 6 to April 21.
Within the COVID-19 outbreak, CBC Health Services has enforced checks and increased portable water supply in some limited-resource areas around her health facilities in Cameroon.
Chimi Emmerencia, Supervisor of Nursing Services (SNS) at Nkwen Baptist Health Center (NBHC) in Bamenda, says there were limited water taps around the NBHC, which used to cause overcrowding in the health center environment.
“Many families who live around this community carry drinking water from here, and the taps are always crowded. With the COVID-19 outbreak, the people, most of whom are women and children are at risk of contracting the disease.
But thanks to the Director of CBC Health Services, four more water taps have been created to decongest the other taps, help the community with free water and everyone to wash their hands properly before entering the hospital,” the SNS added.
Marceline, a 33-year old sales lady living close to, and sells at the Health Center, says “the newly created taps have helped us to improve on our personal hygiene as we do our business.
My two children carry water here every day. With these four more water taps lined up here now, we carry with ease and there is no waste of time as before. We wash our hands now frequently unlike before. We are quite happy about this” Marceline joyfully explained.
Water Hygiene and Sanitation have a very vital role to play in the prevention of coronavirus in resource-limited areas, especially when movement and interaction are still not properly checked.
The SNS added that in addition to this preventive measure, there are checkpoints at all the entrances to the CBC Health Services’ hospitals placed to strictly check temperatures and ensure that everyone entering the health center wash and sanitize their hands properly.
March 17, 2020, Prime Ministerial decree in Cameroon announced school closures, prohibiting public gatherings, and strictly regulating the international and interurban movement of people within this period to limit the disease spread in the country.
However, according to current reports, the virus has already spread to five of the 10 regions of the Country. Most of the infected cases confirmed are in the urban cities of Yaounde and Douala.
The Cameroonian-American Military Professionals, have assisted us with face masks and other materials. No client enters the hospital without a mask.
“We encourage everyone to take prevention measures seriously because there is no other safer way to prevent the virus spread,” Emmerencia ended.