West Region: Regional Delegate of Health says Germany region’s partner of choice.

The official said the German Cooperation has through its multiform actions positioned itself as an undisputed and essential partner of the region. 

He made the statement in Bafoussam, Wednesday July 3. This was during the visit of the German Cooperation-led press delegation presently touring the region.

The visit was part of day three of a German Cooperation-led four-region media trip out to highlight strides recorded by Germany in Cameroon in the last six decades.

Wednesday’s tour took the delegation to some six different localities and centres that have benefited from the cooperation’s largesse in the region in the domains of health and social cohesion, the management of natural resources and good governance.

The 15-person team of pressmen made stopovers in Bangangte, Bandjoun and Bafoussam in the Nde, Khoung Khi and Mifi Divisions, respectively.

The delegation visited the Protestant Integrated Health Center in Mfetom in Bangangte that competed in the Quality Challenge. 

The Quality Challenge, it should be said, is a health program initiated by the German Cooperation which had health centres competing among themselves notably in terms of the quality of health services delivered. The winners and participants received material supports from the German Cooperation at the end of the years-long series.

The media team made a similar stop in Bandjoun in Khoung Khi Division, one of five health districts that benefited from the challenge scheme in the West Region and the family planning service of the Bafoussam Regional Hospital.

The group equally visited health structures in Bafoussam in the Mifi Division and a non-governmental organisation, the Humanitarian Response Actions, which has taken care of hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, from the crisis-hit North West and South West regions and other vulnerable populations. 

Germany a health partner of choice

Addressing the pressmen during a visit at his office, the West Regional Delegate of Public Health, Dr Chinmoun Daouda, said Germany has through the German Cooperation, invested billions in the region both materially and financially, and stands today as an essential and reliable partner.

According to Dr Chinmoun, the cooperation has assisted the region in the training of personnel, provision of material and logistic assistance through its respective programs, especially the German development agency, the GIZ.

One of the most outstanding among the supports, Dr Chinmoun said, is the Quality Challenge scheme which covered five health districts in the region.

He also cited investments made by the cooperation via the regional health promotion fund and the provision of medical assistance to vulnerable populations in the region including those displaced from the North West and South West regions.

Per Dr Chinmoun, the strategic support which equally facilitated the training of some health personnel of the region in East African country, Rwanda, in the collection and management of health data, has completely changed the health situation in the region.

“The German Cooperation is a partner of choice. They are an essential partner,” he told pressmen.

The West Region, the health official emphasised, is now ranked among one of the best in terms of healthcare coverage and effectiveness nationally. 

He revealed that areas such as sexual and reproductive health were the major target of the assistance from the German Cooperation in the last five years under review.

“Thanks to the assistance, we were able to execute projects under the German Cooperation and even designed our own projects based on our needs,” Dr Chinmoun disclosed. 

The commitment shown the region by the German Cooperation, he restated, leaves the zone satisfied but equally hoping to have more of such interventions. 

These, he said, will lead to the continuous amelioration of the health situation in the region when added to the plausible strides made by the state.

“We are looking forward to continue with the partnership because it has been nothing but win-win,” he said.

German Cooperation’s impact felt by locals

In separate interviews with pressmen, the beneficiaries of the assistance of the German Cooperation in the domain of health re-echoed messages of gratitude. 

Health practitioners and authorities in Bangangte and Bandjoun said the Quality Challenge scheme launched some five years ago has played a key role in improving the situation of the populations in the respective health districts.

“Competition brings about good result. So, we are happy about the initiative and the support,” Mbessouk Elvis Patrick, the head of the Bandjoun health district in the Khoung Khi Division, said.

The management of the family planning service under the Bafoussam Regional Hospital had a similar rating. 

Dongneza Nguekeng Georgine, one of the two midwives who received specialised training in family planning and birth control, said the institution received material support and had some of its staff trained by the German Cooperation leading to improved performance. 

Myriam Chimene Magni, the Executive Director of HURAC, a Bafoussam-based association taking care of IDPs and vulnerable women medically, economically and psychologically thanks to support worth millions of FCFA from the German Cooperation, also expressed immense satisfaction about the cooperation’s support.

Bangangte harvesting early fruits of Germany’s largesse

Besides the health centre in the town, the media delegation also visited the newly constructed Marché A in Bangangte. 

The market project is executed by the Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance, FEICOM, via the programme for the economic and social development of secondary cities exposed to instability factors, PRODESV II.

The project worth over 900 million FCFA, is initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the BMZ, via the German development bank, the KfW.

Speaking to pressmen at the market, authorities and locals said the project which has seen the construction of five market blocks in the Bangangte main market comprising of some 304 shops, is timely and will unquestionably continue improving their livelihood.

The Market Master, Ngassan Charles Auguste, said a drastic change is already being experienced by the occupants of the newly constructed blocks despite the fact that the full capacity is still to be opened for use.

He said the shops are affordable and beautifully designed to give occupants and customers sufficient space in the market due to its effective planning.

“Before this project, users suffered immensely because the old market blocks that had been there for over five decades were haphazardly constructed. This hindered smooth movement as the population increased over the years,” Ngassan said.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Issue No:3159 of Friday July 5, 2024