Reforms in training of health workers: Private higher education institutions beg Biya for delay in implementation.

The appeal to the President of the Republic is contained in a Yaounde declaration of Monday, September 23. The declaration came at the end of an extraordinary session of the association’s general assembly chaired by Professor Paul Nkwi.

Discussions during the come together focused largely on the new conditions set by government for the training of health workers in the country.

According to the association, the joint statement signed by the Ministers of Public Health and Higher Education on August 16, 2024, laying down the conditions has put them in a very difficult situation.

In the final declaration read out by NAPHEI’s Third Vice President, Dr Francisca Hongla Biaka, the association first expressed gratitude to the President Paul Biya for his exceptional political vision of private higher education, translated in the Law of July 25, 2023 on the orientation of higher education.

NAPHEI, through the declaration, further reaffirmed its civic and republican support for the actions of the government, in particular the reforms resulting from the joint notice from the Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Higher Education, on the training of medical health personnel in the private higher education institutions.

Issues to address before reform implementation

The association acknowledged that although there is need for such reforms, they, however, believe that its implementation is too immediate and does not take into account certain aspects that need clarification.

“…in pedagogic and academic terms, time is needed for the stakeholders to address the following points: cases of first year repeaters, enrolment of already registered students since July 2024, teaching procedures for changing course programs during the course, adoption of harmonised programmes for second and third year students as well as the preparation of Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) teaching staff for the Ministry of Public Health programmes,” part of the declaration read.

The declaration continued that on the legal front, time is needed to review and update the texts governing the training of medical and health personnel in Cameroon which are over 40 years old. 

It also called for the review of the institutional responsibilities of the ministries in charge of health and higher education in terms of training medical and health personnel.

The declaration furthered that on the socio-economic level, the promoters need time to discuss with the partners and banks from whom major loans have been taken out to build infrastructures and equip laboratories. 

On a human level, promoters suffered a brutal shock two months before the start of the academic year without having being prepared or informed beforehand.

“Many promoters who had already abandoned their investments in the North West and South West are once again frustrated and vitally affected in their desire to contribute to the country’s development. In addition, many PHEIs are threatened with closure, with many jobs at risk,” part of the declaration regretted.

NAPHEI pleads for three years extension

The association after stating the issues that needed clarification humbly implored the government for a three years extension period before the reform can be implemented.

“The promoters of the country’s PHEIs from the ten regions of the country…humbly asking the Head of Government to grant three years so that the technical committee provided for in the press release of 16th August, 2024 can meet and address all the issues raised by the implementation of the reform of training for medical staff in Cameroon,” part of the declaration stated.

The declaration continued that the extension period is also due to the fact that the new legal academic and pedagogic measures to support the reform are taken at State level.

NAPHEI recommits to offer quality education

The promoters of the country’s PHEIs concluded by reaffirming their commitment to offer training that meets international standards and national requirements in terms of training infrastructure and teaching quality.

According to them, NAPHEI has adopted a quality and ethics charter to ensure that. NAPHEI further called on its members to trust the diligence of the Head of Government and above all in the wisdom of the Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3240 of Wednesday September 25, 2024