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Editorial: The Relevance of CBCHS’ Mission and VisionThe Good Book says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish" - Proverbs 29:18. The importance of mission and vision for the health of any Organization cannot be over-emphasized! More
A Mission statement defines the primary objective of an organization; the business, products or services, and customers. It provides detailed information about what the organization does, how it does, and who it does it for. So indeed, it helps focus the Organization on what really matters - to itself as well as to its stakeholders. Whereas, the Vision statement focuses on its goals and aspirations, which describes how the future will look if the organization achieves its mission. The mission and vision of any veritable organization should be timeless.
The vision and mission statements provide a focal point that helps to align everyone with the organization, thus ensuring that everyone is working towards a single purpose. This helps to increase efficiency and productivity in the organization. (From Blog Article by Colour Infusion, Cochrane AB - https://colourinfusion.ca)
Not having clear mission and vision statements would be like going on a journey without knowing the direction you are to follow or the destination.
The CBC Health Services is a Nonprofit, Faith-based, Humanitarian and Inclusive healthcare Organization that addresses both clinical, social, and public health problems affecting individuals and communities in Cameroon in particular and Africa at large. It is one of the departments of the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC). CBC founded in 1954 is a living fellowship of churches growing in grace, strengthening one another in faith and working together in obedience to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission of Jesus Christ through worship, preaching, teaching, healing and social ministries. (www.cbc-cm.org).
Quality care to all! The Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Service (CBCHS) has as mission to provide care to all who need it as an expression of Christian love and as a means of witness in order that, they might be brought to God through Jesus Christ. Thus, the CBCHB shall provide exemplary Health care with genuine compassion and with overriding purpose of evangelical witness. This is drawn from Matthew 9:35-36. Her vision is, “Quality care to all”.
The CBCHS since its establishment has been operating in Cameroon striving to further her mission and by no means deviating from it. They strive to PROVIDE CARE TO ALL WHO NEED IT AS AN EXPRESSION OF CHRISTIAN LOVE AND AS A MEANS OF WITNESS. If you go through the Scripture, Jesus ministered to all – those with leprosy, the prostitutes - I mean all who were rejected in the society; even those who hated Him. He had a goal in mind, His goal was the salvation of mankind. As the arm of the church, the CBC Health Services seeks to provide Care to all who need it as an expression of this Christian love and equally as a means of evangelical witness. Jesus fully aware that Judas Iscariot would later betray Him did not disown him but ministered to him as well.
Quality care to all! The CBCHS has stood the test of time even in the current crisis situation; She has never deviated from providing care to all who need it. She has been seen in hard-to-reach areas. This is because, she developed a clear sense of her values even before the crisis. CBC Health Services' mission statement indicates a clear concern regarding a commitment to "quality and maintaining the highest standards of honesty and integrity in its dealings with all stakeholders”.
We equally praise God for the transformational leaders in the CBC Health Services who inspire, energize, and intellectually stimulate and stir employees to look beyond their own self-interest for the benefit of individual work groups and the organization as a whole.
The CBC Health Services has used her mission statement as a constant guide for her actions. She is out to satisfy customers’ needs. The mission of the CBCHS is clear: equality ("the proposition that all men are created equal and in the image of God")
Persevering through tragedy is not easy. The CBCHS has not let her shortcomings to keep her from her work. Staying true to her mission and vision has kept her in focus to learn from any challenges and sailing through when and where many are failing!!!
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CBC Health Services Officially kickstarts Obstetric Fistula treatment in Partnership with Fistula FoundationThe first set of women with fistula to be treated under the current phase of the Obstetric Fistula Project have congregated in Mbingo Baptist Hospital. These women, 8 in number arrived in Mbingo on Friday and Saturday, June 14 and 15, 2024. More
The CBC Health Services Obstetric Fistula Project Coordinator, Ayenjika Yasemeratu, received them on Saturday, June 15, 2024. The women came in from different parts of the North West, South West, and West Regions of Cameroon.
Orienting the women on their stay at the Hospital during their treatment, Yasemeratu encouraged them to be courageous and pray for the best outcomes of their surgeries.
She further encouraged the women lodging at the Fistula Village in the hospital, to form a family and be each other’s keepers as they undergo their treatment and recovery process.
During the visit, the Coordinator accompanied by the M&E Officer Febmu Bertrand also introduced the project to the Administration of Mbingo Baptist Hospital and discussed official procedures for the effective reception and treatment of women with fistula in the hospital.
The surgeries will be performed for one week by Dr. Ngock George after which they will be relodged at the fistula village for at least 2 weeks for observation. According to the Coordinator, the objective is for any post-surgery complications that may develop to be handled. She explained that if they go back to their communities and develop complications, some may not be able to return to the hospital because of long distances and the cost of transportation.
The women all expressed their gratitude to the CBC Health Services and its partners for facilitating their treatment which they prayed should be successful so that they should come out of the misery and stigma associated with their condition.
Obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury that leaves women incontinent (uncontrollable leaking) of urine and or stool through the vagina.
The treatment centers for the condition within the Obstetric Fistula Project are Mbingo and Nkwen Baptist Hospitals.
The CBC Health Services implements the project with Fistula Foundation funding.
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Health Districts in NWR Commit to Promote Safety, Protection in FacilitiesSafeguarding is a practice that is absent in many health facilities due to ignorance or lack of will to practice it. More
In its partnership with five health districts of the Northwest Region, the Comprehensive Program for the Empowerment of Persons with Disability and Inclusive Access to Basic Services of Health, Education, and Livelihood in the Northwest Region of Cameroon amongst other areas is focusing on safeguarding in health facilities.
It is in line with this that the project organized a 2-day workshop on inclusion, gender, and safeguarding for staff from these district hospitals: Wum, Nkambe, Santa, Nkwen, Foundong, and SAJOCAH Bafut. The workshop held at the Baptist Center Nkwen Bamenda from May 24-25, 2024 with objectives to build the capacity of participants on basic concepts of inclusion, reasonable accommodation, Gender, safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), validate safeguarding policies and code of conduct, and set up a referral system.
Safeguarding Officer drilling participants on safeguarding principles and its code of conduct Expounding on the importance of the workshop, the lead facilitators, the Safeguarding Officer, Boyo Maureen and the Gender Officer, Che Jessie explained to participants that a risk assessment was done at the start of the project to ascertain and, or identify potential risks related to sexual exploitation, abuse, and Sexual Harassment (SEAH) and other forms of harm and abuse that an organization may face. These include: risks to staff, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders with measures put in place to mitigate the risks. Some gaps were identified thus, the reason why the training was organized to train two staff per facility to build their capacities on Gender, safeguarding, and SEA, setting up a one-stop-shop, a referral system, and the importance of appointing a safeguarding focal point as well as advocating for the recruitment of a social worker.
The Project Coordinator, Lohshie Eugene schooled participants on the inclusion of vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities in health care delivery. In a group work, participant reflected on the different vulnerable groups who are persons with disabilities, children, women, and the elderly. They also identified barriers that these groups of persons face in accessing health care such as the physical structure of the hospital, lack of signages to direct them to points of care in the hospital, assistive devices, staff attitude, and Finances amongst others. The session enabled the participants to identify measures of overcoming those barriers such as awareness raising amongst staff and working with the hospital administration to put in place systems that will enable this group of vulnerable persons to access services.
Project coordinator encouraging participants to promote inclusion in their facilities The Gender Officer used her experience to drill participants on Gender Based Violence which is experienced by both men and women. She emphasized the concept of psychosocial support services, its ethics and when to provide it to clients who come to the hospital. She told them to practice "Do no harm approach" as they offer services adding that they need to always get an informed consent from the client before doing their job.
On her part, the Child Safeguarding Officer, Boyo Maurine drilled participants on safeguarding, its principles, and its code of conduct. Given that she was involved in conducting the risk assessment in the different health districts, she shared some of the gaps in the protection and safety for service users. Some of these gaps included: access to quality care and causes of issues that bring clients to the hospital, which may stem from abuse either at the level of the community, families, or other situations.
At the end of the reflections, participants agreed to have a customized code of conduct that will be signed by all staff of each institution including volunteers and contract workers which will enable them to be more cautious of harm to vulnerable people as they carry out their duties. They also identified the need to develop guidelines, especially for government institutions like district hospitals which will help them understand the procedures on how to manage issues on the safety of children which will include prevention and responding to abuse as well as minimizing the effects on the victims.
The workshop participants appreciated the project for building their capacity on safeguarding which is relatively new for most of them. Speaking to one, of the participants, Dr. Beri Bala from Wum District Hospital, she expressed that, thanks to the partnership with the project, some areas of the hospital building have been modified with the construction of ramps to improve access to the different service points of the hospital. She added that this has led to an increase in the number of persons with disabilities accessing the hospital.
It is hoped that with knowledge acquired from the workshop, these health facilities will put in place sustainable systems in their health facilities that will ensure the protection and safety of the vulnerable persons who access their services.
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New Era for CBC Health Services as New Director chairs Strategic Meetings in Mvan YaoundeLeaders of the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) Health Services have committed their dedication to adapt and grow the system further under the new leadership of Mr. Ngum Samuel as Director of Health Services. More
The new DHS let the leaders to have an idea of his roadmap as he chaired three-day strategic meetings that held from May 22-24, 2024, in the Mvan Resource Center in Yaounde.
The event brought together leaders from all CBC Health Services facilities, including Hospital Administrators, Chief Medical Officers, Supervisors of Nursing Services, and Finance Administrators. The meeting, which was chaired for the first time by Mr. Ngum Samuel, the new Director of Health Services, marked a significant milestone in the organization's journey towards sustainability and excellence.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Ngum Samuel outlined his vision for the future of CBC Health Services. Emphasizing the organization's commitment to sustainability, quality improvement, human resource development, and financial strength, Mr. Ngum presented a comprehensive plan to guide his tenure.
Praying for better days Excerpts of the Director’s speech read thus: “This mandate now is to consolidate these hard-earned resources, strengthen the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) Health Services (Health System Strengthening), and fortify our resilience for sustainability (Stewardship). We are also committed to exploring new avenues for innovations, research & development, and partnerships, a testament to our continuous strive for excellence”.
The DHS affirmed that “We cannot reinvent the wheel when it has been proven to work. The mandate is that of fostering growth based on the Vision (Quality healthcare to all) and Mission (“The Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services seek to assist in the provision of care to all who need it as an expression of Christian love and as a means of witnessing so that they may be brought to God through Jesus Christ. Thus, the CBC Health Services shall provide exemplary health care with genuine compassion and with the overriding purpose of evangelical witness”) of the CBC Health Services, which is enshrined in the overall mission and vision of the Cameroon Baptist Convention. These are not just words on a page but a guiding light we all strive to uphold. We are a brand to be jealously guarded, God being our helper”.
The first day focused on the Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) meeting, where participants discussed strategies to enhance the availability and management of essential medicines. The DRF is a critical component in ensuring that patients have consistent access to affordable and high-quality medications. The meeting highlighted the importance of efficient inventory management, timely procurement, and the implementation of robust financial controls to maintain the fund's sustainability.
The second day was dedicated to reviewing the 2024 goals and budget. Leaders from various facilities presented their financial plans and objectives for the coming year. This session provided an opportunity for a comprehensive review of the current financial health of CBC Health Services and the formulation of strategies to meet the organization's goals. Key discussions centered around optimizing resource allocation, improving cost-efficiency, and enhancing revenue streams. The budget review underscored the importance of financial prudence and strategic planning in achieving the CBC Health Services' mission.
United in purpose The final day of the meeting addressed postings and transfers of key personnel. This session was crucial in ensuring that the right human resources are deployed to areas where they are most needed. Discussions included the evaluation of current staffing needs, planning for future recruitment, and the development of strategies to enhance staff retention and motivation. The effective management of human resources is vital for maintaining high standards of patient care and operational efficiency.
The three-day meeting in Mvan Yaounde was a testament to CBC Health Services' dedication to its mission and its readiness to adapt and grow under new leadership. Mr. Ngum Samuel's vision and the collaborative efforts of the organization's leaders set a strong foundation for future success. As CBC Health Services moves forward, the focus on sustainability, quality, human resource capacity, and financial strength will be pivotal in achieving its goals and continuing to provide exceptional health care services to the communities it serves.
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CBC Health Services LAP Program Holds Coordination Meeting, Celebrates AchievementsThe Life Abundant Primary Healthcare (LAP) program Administrator of CBC Health Services, Mr. Njini George has appreciated the efforts of the Field and Office staff of the Program for working hard to achieve their goals and objectives despite the challenges faced in the field. More
The LAP Administrator was speaking on May 30, 2024, at the Baptist Centre Nkwen, Bamenda during a Coordination meeting to take stock of LAP activities.
The meeting, which brought together Primary Health Centre Nurses, Field Supervisors, and Office Staff from the 48 LAP Stations running under the CBC Health services was also an opportunity for the team to share their challenges and chart a way forward.
LAP Coordination Meeting in session LAP Administrator, Mr. Njini George commended his team for their dedication and hard work in achieving their 2024 goals despite facing challenges, particularly transportation and insecurity issues in the Northwest and Southwest regions. He highlighted the reports presented during the meeting, acknowledging the staff's sacrifices in providing essential healthcare services to remote communities. Mr. George emphasized the critical role LAP plays in many areas, often serving as the sole healthcare facility. He also outlined strategies to overcome challenges, including increased supervisory visits, community outreach programs, and closer collaboration with the Director's office and supervising hospitals.
The Stock Taking Excercise The week began with a workshop for Primary Health Centre Nurses and Supervisors on Leprosy case identification and management. facilitated by Mr. Fombang Oliver and Madam Regina from the Leprosy Hospital in Mbingo. Bread for the World funded the workshop, which addressed the recent resurgence of leprosy, a neglected tropical disease that can lead to disability if left untreated. This information is particularly timely given the sporadic cases reported in Ndop and Benade.
LAP is a unique program within CBC Health Services, functioning as a community health initiative, allowing communities to request health units based on their needs. LAP facilitates the process, from application review to health committee formation, village health worker training, and finally, the opening of a staffed Primary Health Centre. Currently, 48 LAP health centers are operational, serving as part of a broader network of 60 CBC Health Services primary health centers. Unfortunately, 12 centers are currently suspended due to the ongoing war in the two English speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest.
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Far North Region: Healinghugs Project Team Trains Local Staff in Disability Profiling, Needs AssessmentA recent trip by the CBC Health Services’ Field Supervisor and a Healinghugs Profile Collector to the Far North Region has registered a remarkable success, not only meeting profile collection targets for children with disabilities but also laying the groundwork for future sustainability. More
The team that Meskine Baptist Hospital hosted for two weeks focused on four key objectives:
- To collect profiles of children with disabilities aged 0-17;
- Screen and refer children with impairments for treatment and provide assistive devices;
- Train staff based in Meskine on profile collection; and
- Raise awareness about disabilities and strengthening community partnerships.
Debrieifng with the Administration of Meskine Baptist Hospital After having worked across three Divisions (Mayo Sava, Mayo Tsanaga and Logone et Chari), reaching out to seventeen communities, the team screened and collected 465 profiles of children with impairments aged 0-17. However, a significant outcome is the training delivered to project staff and hospital personnel on profile collection. This newly trained team will be equipped to continue the crucial task of identifying and profiling children with disabilities in the future, ensuring ongoing support for this vulnerable population.
Newly trained profile collector profiling a child in the community Beyond Numbers: Training, Collaboration, and Awareness
The training programme went beyond simply filling out forms. Participants received practical field experience, including sensitization techniques, intake and consent forms, and the three key components of profiling pictures (camera handling). This comprehensive training ensures they possess the necessary skills to effectively engage with communities and accurately assess children’s needs.
The team also placed a strong emphasis on community engagement. Over 1,500 people received disability awareness messages, fostering a more inclusive environment and strengthening collaboration with key stakeholders, including government officials, community organizations, and traditional authorities. In addition, a physiotherapist assistant and mental health nurse accompanied the team, providing immediate support for children identified with specific needs.
Mr. Kouamou Alain, Administrator of Meskine Baptist Hospital Maroua Challenges and Recommendations
The team acknowledged some challenges during the trip. Language barriers presented difficulties in certain communities, highlighting the need for a diverse team with fluency in local languages. Additionally, scheduling multiple activities on the same day occasionally limited engagement time. These insights resulted in valuable recommendations for future projects, including language assessments prior to field visits, more flexible scheduling, and adequate water provisions for the team working in the region's high temperatures (over 40 degrees).
The messages on disabilities are taken rigt to remote communities Sustainability and Success Stories
The challenges notwithstanding, the team left the Far North Region on a positive note, with a strong sense of accomplishment and collaboration. The team (comprising Mr. Kenchi Joseph, CBR Supervisor as lead and Mr. Wifah Jenivarus, profile collector) not only hit a satisfactory profile collection goal but also trained local staff, fostered community partnerships, and identified potential success stories that can be used to further amplify the CBC Health Services’ impact in the Far North Region.
Going by Scriptures, realities on disability works in the Far North Region resonate around Mathew 9:37b – “…the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few,” underscoring the ongoing need for resources and trained personnel to address the significant needs of children with disabilities in the Far North Region of Cameroon.
