To meet standards: Gov’t sets new conditions for training of medical professionals.

It was signed by the Minister of Public Health, Dr Manaouda Malachie, and the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo.

The decision was taken after a consultation meeting between the members of government and the President of the National Paramedical Council and the Executive Secretary of the National Association of Private Institutes of Higher Education.

The meeting came after worries were raised over the quality of training given to holders of the Higher National Diplomas, HND; Brevet de Technicien Superieur, BTS; Diplome Superieur d’Etude Professionnelles, DSEP, and Health Professional Degree, HPD, in some medical professional schools in the country.

The meeting focused on “the need for the registration of holders of professional health degrees: BTS, HND, DSEP, HPD into the Paramedical professional Council; the issuance of equivalent respective academic titles to the grades with an Advance Level plus three in the Anglophone sub-system education or Baccalauréat in the French sub-system of education and their peer with an Advance Level or Baccalauréat plus five years with state certificates delivered by the Ministry of Public Health and the absence of a Paramedical Engineering training programme in Cameroon”. 

According to the joint statement, some solutions were arrived at during the meeting.

The statement said “regarding the training of health professionals in some institutes of higher education, it was agreed that they readjust the 2024-2025 academic year, so as to align the students to a training cycle towards obtaining the State Diploma issued by the Ministry of Public Health”.

It was equally agreed that there should be a co-mentorship of these institutions at the academic level by the Ministry of Higher Education and technically by the Ministry of Public Health following harmonised modalities both at the entrance and at the end of the training.

Regarding the delivery of equivalent respective academic titles to the grades of Baccalauréat/GCE Advance Level plus three years and Baccalauréat/GCE Advance Level plus five years to holders of State certificates issued by the ministry, it was agreed that the training curricular shall be approved by the Ministry of Higher Education following criteria to be agreed upon by both Ministries.

With regard to the degree of Paramedical Engineering, the creation and opening of training programme for Paramedical Engineers, in respect of the legislative and regulatory procedures is underway.

Similarly, it was concluded that the Ministry of Public Health, shall in collaboration with National Council of Paramedical Professionals, organise in the Month of October 2024, a national aptitude test for paramedical professionals for holders of the professional certificates including BTS, HND, DSEP and HPD in view of their admission into the National Council of Paramedical Personnel.

According to the statement, unsuccessful candidates in the aptitude test shall receive additional professional training, following a jointly validated special programme and at the end of additional training, they shall again sit the certification examination to be organised by the Ministry of Public Health.

Students currently enrolled in schools for the training programmes for the said cycles, the statement added, shall complete their training in respect of the training curricular in force.

Enter council chair

It should be recalled that the decision from government followed several worries laid by some professionals within the medical profession on the introduction of short cuts brought in with the admission of the BTS/HND/DSEP/HPD diplomas in health training.

This, experts said has fast-tracked courses and does not guarantee the acquisition of the knowledge and skills needed to competently and ethically practise in the healthcare field.

Prior to this, the Council of Medico Sanitary Professions, CMSP in a recent statement signed by its Chairman, Dr Fobasso Dzeuta Melkior, noted that the duration of training programmes in some medical professional institutions of learning are insufficient to train qualified and responsible professionals in the domain of health.

According to the statement, the lack of an official national entrance examination or final certification exam for courses run by the different ministries concerned, pushes many to raise concern over the quality of certificates awarded to the learners at the end of their training.

The anarchic creation of training schools, the council chair regretted is not in line with the 1980 decree. 

“This unregulated proliferation has inevitably led to a disparity in training programmes, both initial and continuing. There are currently no uniform standards for curricula, leading to disparities in the skills acquired by students at the end of their training across the country. In addition, the issue of trainers and their qualifications remains a course for concern,” the council chair stated.

The lack of standard profile for recruitment, he regretted is another problem within the corps. 

“Without a rigorous and standardised selection process, it is impossible to ensure that only the most qualified candidates are admitted to these sensitive medical-health training programmes,” he said.

The council chair in the statement had called for an immediate end to the training of BTS/HND/DSEP/HPD in health in Cameroon. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3203 of Monday August 19, 2024