West Region: CBC Health Services uses sports to combat non-communicable diseases.

The tournament featured sporting competitions such as handball, football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, athletics, dance games, amongst many others.

The tournament held under the theme: “Beat Non-Communicable Diseases”. It saw over 2,000 staff of the CBC Health Services facilities all over the country participating.  

Speaking on the last day of the event on Saturday March 23, the Director of the CBC Health Services, Prof Tih Pius Muffih, enjoined all the staff of the CBC Health Services facilities across the nation to exercise regularly in order to beat Non-Communicable Diseases in their systems. 

Prof Tih told reporters that the tournament was aimed at ensuring the fight against non-communicable diseases amongst the staff of CBC Health Services. This, he said, is because they noticed a significant increase in NCDs and said if they don’t defeat it, it will defeat them. 

“NCDs was once considered a Whiteman’s sickness, but it has turned to be our sickness. Cancer, for example, is becoming very rampant now; a woman having it in the breast, cervix, stomach and the man, on the other hand, developing it in his manhood. And you will equally hear of people developing high blood, for others you will hear of diabetes,” he said. 

Prof Tih added that: “We were not experiencing all these illnesses at first. They have just become rampant now in our communities. This tournament was therefore organised because we discovered that these NCDs are affecting people due to the fact that they are not exercising very well, which exercise is one of the preventive measures”. 

Objectives attained 

Prof Tih added that the objective of the tournament was largely attained, since the official launch in the year 2022, looking at how participative the staff are in the sporting games with each one involved in one game or the other.

He reiterated that the tournament is not a onetime tournament, but a continuous one which will be done every year. 

“…we are saying that we have succeeded in mobilising everybody to know the importance of exercising regularly. This is because NCDs are not a stop gap illness, but something that keeps coming. Therefore, the tournament is not ending today, neither is it ending tomorrow. It is something that has come to stay with us,” Prof Tih said.

CBCHS boss recognised

One of the landmarks of the event was the recognition given to the Director of CBC Health Services, Prof Tih Pius Muffih, by the United Nations, UN-CISRI, a permanent Observatory Mission in Cameroon, represented by a team under the leadership of its Goodwill Ambassador, Chief Thomas Fotang Ayuk.

Prof Tih was referred to as an Iconic Humanitarian Personality, and the number one person in the fight against NCDs. 

They also mentioned that CBC hospitals are second to none in quality healthcare all over the nation, thanks to the immerse leadership of Prof Tih.

CBCHS staff express gratitude

Meanwhile, staff of the CBC Health Services expressed gratitude to Prof Tih Pius for the initiative to organise the tournament. 

Ngansi Havilia, a caterer in school for the blind at the Banso Baptist Hospital, a 56-year-old woman and a member of the dance club, told The Guardian Post that she was very happy for the wonderful programme. 

She described it as one of the best things that she has acquired in the CBC Health Services since she started working in 1999.

“I am very happy because this programme has helped me to kick out NCDs, through my participation in the different sporting activities. My weight, which was initially 126 kg, is now 115kg. I really thank Prof Tih and his team for the wonderful event which has made me very smart,” she said.

For his part, Lukong Isaac Tinayem, a Pharmacist Assistant at the Mutegene Baptist Hospital, said the programme has helped him a lot as he has been able to meet and partner with other colleagues. He said he has equally seen the importance of keeping fit and exercising frequently. 

“It was quite an exciting exercise to see people above 50 years jumping and doing a lot of physical exercises and playing games. This has motivated me a lot to keep fit,” he said.

Ngalla Prudencia, a central pharmacist at the Mutegene Baptist Hospital, for her part, said by playing handball, football, volleyball, it has helped her to fight against NCDs. She said she was very thankful for the wonderful opportunity.