Reducing Burden on Gender Based Violence, Non-communicable Diseases in Remote Zones
The Life Abundant Primary, LAP, Healthcare program of the CBC Health Services is committed to building the capacity of those delivering primary healthcare in the communities. LAP nurses and field supervisors came together at the Nkwen Baptist Center from June 26-28, 2024, to improve access to essential healthcare in underserved rural communities. In this capacity building session, the LAP program chose to focus on Gender-Based Violence, GBV, and Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs.
As nurses in communities with little to no access to advanced medical skills and technologies, they often face challenges of access to timely innovations which can booster their work. With this in mind, the CBC Health Services is committed to regularly build their capacity so they are informed of changes and improvements in their vocation. This has proven to increase patient recovery and turn over in these underserved communities, thereby saving more lives.
With the developing change in lifestyles, and many more moving from naturally processed meals to foods filled with Trans Fatty Acids, there are more recorded cases of NCDs like diabetes, hypertension and cancer, taking a toll on the communities.
The nurses and LAP supervisors were drilled on how to quickly identify cases prone to such diseases using parameters such as Body Mass Index, Hogh Blood Pressure, Weight etc. They also received exposes on how to identify NCDs, in those already attacked, with an overview of behaviour change communication, lifestyle modification and counselling.
GBV cases, according to Mme Nsono Josephine, Gender and Child Protection Supervisor of the CBC Health Services, has always been a reality in these underserved communities but not prominent because they are not sufficiently reported. She hopes that with the training received by the participants, they can quickly sensitize their communities on the subject, identify and correctly report such cases. In her presentations, the participants were given knowledge on humanitarian principles, Case management in GBV, providing psychosocial support to GBV survivors, and working with survivors with disabilities.
Tata Patience, a nurse in Mbappi Primary Health Clinic in the West region was very excited about the prospects of improving her service to the community. “The sessions were so good and informative. My knowledge on the prevention and management of NCDs and GBV has been refreshed and I am glad to have participated in this workshop,” she blurted out.
At the close of the workshop, the LAP Program Administrator for the CBC Health Services, Mr Njini George encouraged the participants to be diligent in their work, and keen to detect GBV and NCD cases in order to reduce their burden on the communities.
