To minimise risk, ensure quality: Medical council president calls for regulation of foreign health missions.

Dr Fonfoua made the call in a recent outing. According to him, such a framework will guarantee quality, proper follow-up and minimise dangers patients suffer after the works of such foreign health teams. 

He said citizens are exposed to risks when foreign health personnel come to the country without any established code of monitoring what they do.

Some of the shortcomings of such foreign medical missions, Dr Fonkoua said, include; unapproved personnel, substandard facilities, limited collaboration, and accountability gaps.

Media reports also quote the medic as having said, medical missions carried out by foreign health personnel in the country, could jeopardise the patient safety and hinder medical development if not properly checked.

Beyond raising worries about patients’ safety, Dr Fonkoua is also quoted as having raised doubts about the qualifications, administrative status, expertise, and experience of some members of the foreign teams that usually come to the country.

Dr Fonkoua equally underscored that sometimes, the technical and infrastructural equipment used by the teams on mission could be inadequate contrary to required norms. The situation, he said could result in worries on the quality of care given to patients.

To him, when these mission teams arrive the country, there is always an insufficient coordination and collaboration with the local team met in the different health centres they are chanced to visit.

Post intervention follow up, after such works, he said is usually difficult because visiting teams and medics in Cameroon rarely share experiences.

He warned that, in case there is an administrative, civil matter after such works, it will be difficult to establish responsibility if foreign missions are allowed to continue operate the way they do across Cameroon.

To solve the problem, Dr Fonkoua, sees nothing outside the institution of legal provisions on inviting and receiving medical health teams to Cameroon solving the problem.