#COVID19 Response : “ The disease is still in our communities”
Medical experts from the Centre Regional Delegation of Public Health in Cameroon have said the final victory against the global health pandemic #COVID19 has not yet been achieved.
The experts evaluated response to the pandemic in 12 health facilities in a workshop in Yaoundé on July 11, within the context of the implementation of the Catalyzing COVID-19 Action (CCA) project.
CCA is an Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) project that seeks to improve access, screening, testing, and use of effective therapeutics in the management of the disease.
“As far as the Centre region is concerned, we can say #COVID19 is not yet over. It still exists in our hospitals and communities. But we want inhabitants of the centre region to know that all is in place to ensure that #COVID19 is no longer as deadly as before,” Dr. Kissougle Aimé Florence, head of unit for follow up of COVID19 operations told CRTV web.
The workshop to evaluate the response to COVID19 is an initiative of the Delegation of Public Health for the Centre Region, with support from EGPAF.
Discussions during the evaluation workshop touched on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the implementation of the CCA project. Beyond existing shortcomings, the project is designed to ultimately make the response to the pandemic more effective in hospitals and communities.
Implementing the CCA project
Among concerns raised by health experts is hesitance to screening by patients who present with symptoms of the disease. Most of such patients say the war against the pandemic is over in Cameroon.
Health experts say implementing the CCA project four units have been set aside in the 12 health districts to respond to all #COVID19 issues . Accordingly, people who present at least one symptom are screened at the reception, HIV/AIDS unit or the Mother and Child unit. Treatment is then administered to the positive cases and their contacts traced.
Some of the health facilities where the project was implemented include ; the Yaounde Central hospital, Jamot hospital, CMA Mfou, CMA Nkolbison, Nkoldongo health district, Mvog Ada District hospital , Efoulan District hospital, Hospital Des Soeurs de Mvog Betsi.
The CCA project provides a sustainable response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. It’s implementation phase in Cameroon is scheduled from September 2021-September 2023. CCA is also being implemented in Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Kathy Neba Sina
