By Asong Sylvester and Nkeze Linda
Public health practitioners in the Southwest Region have promised to improve the quality of health services despite the many challenges faced. They made the pledge during the Second Quarter Regional Coordination meeting of Public Health Practitioners that took place from August 20-21, 2015 in Kumba in Meme Division.
Speaking at the gathering, the Regional Delegate for Public Health, Dr. Victor Mbome Njie, announced that the distribution of over 8,000 mosquito treated bed nets will soon commence in the region. Similarly, the construction of a Regional Teaching Hospital complex will start in the days ahead. Dr. Mbome Victor reminded the public that the mosquito nets are to help combat malaria, and not to be stored. “We can prevent mosquitoes from breeding if more attention is paid to hygiene and sanitation. We should not just say we have mosquito nets and forget about hygiene and sanitation,” the Regional Delegate cautioned.
The two-day meeting, which brought together over 100 District Medical Officers and other health practitioners in the Region, took place on the theme, “Stakeholders Responsibility In Strengthening District Health Action.” According to Dr. Victor Mbome Njie, the coordination meeting is a forum where all the 18 District Medical Officers in the South West Region, their close aides and other health staff, come together to appraise their activities in the preceding quarter. It also affords them the opportunity to brainstorm on challenges and results obtained as well as look for the way forward.
The Regional Delegate noted that health personnel are not enough compared to the number of patients. He lauded government efforts to improve the quality of health services in the country. The Director of the Kumba District Hospital, Dr.Ebongo Zacheus, urged Kumba residents to patronize quality health services by shying away from quacks who pass for Medical Doctors. Lectures at the meeting were on topics such as PMTCT activities, hospital hygiene, dialogue, structure and mutual health review, management of acute malnutrition, malaria control and update on diseases surveillance in the region.
