CBCHS Trains, Graduates Pioneer Batch of Community Mental Health Technicians
Suffering, hardship, wars, burnout and stress among others are some of the leading causes of mental health. While these causes are not abating, the situation is made worse by the acute lack of mental health personnel to attend to the increasing number of people suffering from mental disorders.
It is from this background that the graduation of 16 Community Mental Health Technicians from the Baptist Institute of Health Sciences (BIHS) in Mbingo Baptist Hospital was received with much excitement and expectation by all who turned out for the End of Course Ceremony on August 18, 2023 at the chapel of Nkwen Baptist Hospital in Bamenda. The one-year training program involved both theory and practicum.
Receiving the 16 graduands into the workforce of the CBC Health Services, Mr. Warri Denis, Deputy Director of Health Services for Finance and Administration (DDAF) said they will be used as catalyst to drive the vision of the CBC Health Services in promoting the well-being of mentally ill patients. The DDAF pledged the system’s support to the newly trained personnel to surmount the challenges on mental health that have been exacerbated by the ongoing crisis in the country with limited strategies to bring the situation under control. He congratulated CBC Health Services Mental Health Supervisor, Mr. Ngwen Frankline for coordinating the course so well and MBH for hosting the training.
In a presentation of the one-year course (August 2022 to August 2023), the course coordinator, Mr. Ngwen Frankline felt fulfilled that the training of this pioneer batch Community Mental Health Technicians is a major breakthrough to start reducing the yawning gap of patients to service providers ratio. He explained that the training falls in line with WHO recommended model for task-shifting. The Mental Health Supervisor explained that the Community Mental Health Technician works under the supervision of site psychiatrist. According to Mr. Ngwen, mental health constitutes 35 percent of disability worldwide and unfortunately, many Africans do not believe that depression is a mental health issue. “We need mental health to meet Universal Health Coverage,” he remarked.
The CBC Health Services Mental Health Supervisor used the occasion to thank the administration and MBH as well as the other hospitals where the students practiced. He also appealed on the administration to pay more attention to the mental health program by organizing another training for Community Mental Health Technicians. He said, formerly, such specialized trainings could only be obtained in next door Nigeria, but today, the CBC Health Services has embraced the training, which is a good sign for mental health services to come to the forefront.
The class coordinator, Nyingchia Eugene recounted the benefit of the training, first to them as trainees and to the entire system. On behalf of his colleagues, he pledged their willingness to boost the mental health services back in their stations. Although the class was a complex mix with various cadre of nurses both from English and French backgrounds, they were able to sail through the challenges, thanks to support from the Director of Health Services, MBH, the SEEPD program, their families and above all, the course coordinator and Mental Health Supervisor.
Earlier in a well-fitting devotional thought from 1 Kings 19:1-4, Rev. Fongoh Godwin, Chaplain at the CBC Health Services Central Administration dwelled on the topic, “Taking Care of your Mental Health and that of Others”. The chaplain warned against the danger of attributing mental health to sin. He said the causes of mental health are varied such as stress, bereavement and depression such as the case of Prophet Elijah. “We need to take care of our mental health by seeking counseling, avoid stigmatizing others, be encouragers and not discouragers and seeking to be right with God and avoid guilt,” Rev. Fongoh recommended.
The End of Course ceremony was attended among others by the Administrator of Nkwen Baptist Hospital, SEEPD Program Manager that funds the mental health program and family members among others.