‘Step Up Performance to attain Epidemic Control’, Dr. Emily
The CDC Cameroon Country Director Dr. Emily Kainne Dokubo has called on the HIV Free Southwest Region to step up performance to achieve epidemic control in the SW by 2022. The CDC Country Director was speaking on June 10, 2021 during her maiden visit to the SW region. Triggered by the relatively lower performance of the region in Zone one, the purpose of the visit was to appreciate the team for the work they are doing, understand what challenges they have and see what can be done to improve service delivery and increase performance.
The CDC Country Director was received by the Principal Investigator of the HIVF Project (Northwest, Southwest and West Regions) Prof. Tih Pius Muffih. The Senior Technical Advisor Dr. Atanga Pascal presented an overview of HIV activities in the SW and the key results the project has registered across the different programme areas.
Field Visit to PEPEFAR Supported Health facilities in the Region
Before the field visit, Dr. Emily and her entourage took a tour of the CBC Health Services complex particularly to the National Early Infant Diagnosis Reference Laboratory, and the Central Pharmacy store where Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs are kept. She began her field visit with the Regional Delegation of Public health SW in Buea. The Country Director visited three; all tier one sites (Buea Regional Hospital, Baptist Hospital Mutengene and Limbe Regional Hospital) located in Fako Division of the SW. She had a tour of the different entry points and listened to presentations that showed the strides made by the facilities, the challenges and proposed solutions on how to handle them. She commended the regional team and staff for the efforts they are making to offer services to clients to improve their health outcomes amidst the crisis. While acknowledging the challenges resulting from the crisis, the Director stated that strategies, should be put in place to test and initiate clients into treatment as well as retain them in care. Dr. Emily prescribed a more patient-centered model; taking targeted services to the community as what is needed to move the region to the expected outcome. One of the areas she hinged on was prioritizing paediatric and adolescents care.
Management Committed to Push the SW Region Forward
The CDC team questioned what was done differently in the West Region which has reached epidemic control that is not yet done in the SW region. The HIVF Project through the Technical Director Dr. Albert Bakor noted that the SW Region as compared to the three regions has the highest performance quantitatively but in proportion has the lowest performance due to high targets. He assured the CDC Country Director of the project’s commitment to move the SW region to epidemic control by 2022. Motivated with the spirit to move the hospital’s ahead, the Director of the Limbe Regional Hospital Dr. Nyenti A. said he has been considering some solutions to implement in the facilities, the hospital will move from the state of ‘considering’ to the time of action. At BHM, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ndasi Henry promised the hospital administration together with other medical personnel will jointly work to get the facility and region where it is supposed to be.
The CDC Country’s Director’s visit lasted two days and her team was made up of the Project Officer Dr. Clement Ndongmo, and Dr. Judith Shang in Care and Treatment Branch Chief and CDC Present during the visit were the Senior Management team and sub Recipient the FHI 360 and the laboratory partner GHSS.
