Y’de Central Hospital: Director unveils magazine, outlines innovations in service delivery .

The publication, designed to chronicle the hospital’s activities, reforms and emerging practices, was presented during a press conference at the hospital’s conference hall in Yaounde. 

Prof Ongolo Zogo also used the opportunity to outline several innovations introduced to improve governance, patient care and relations between users and healthcare personnel.

Speaking during the presser, the Hospital Director stated that the magazine is intended to become a lasting record of the changes taking place within the hospital, which also serves as a university teaching hospital.

He explained that documenting these experiences is particularly important because the hospital’s reforms are closely linked to research, training and the sharing of knowledge.

“The reason for this magazine is to provide a document that will last, where we share lessons learned and talk about the ongoing transformation in the hospital,” Prof Ongolo Zogo said. 

He stressed that practices developed at the hospital should be documented so they can contribute to teaching and potentially be replicated elsewhere.

The initiative, he explained, is also in line with a ministerial directive encouraging health institutions to document their transformation and share lessons learned. 

He noted that the publication is not an advertising platform or a conventional administrative bulletin. Le Bulletin Santé Messa, he added, is expected to promote accountability, education and institutional cohesion.

The Director stated that each edition will therefore document progress, showcase the work of hospital staff, explain institutional choices and provide a platform for discussions on major public health issues. The publication is also expected to contribute to building an institutional memory of the hospital’s reforms.

Prof Ongolo Zogo indicated that the editorial process would also involve a scientific committee to ensure the quality and credibility of published material. Contributions will focus on documented experiences and good practices, with the objective of making lessons from the hospital’s transformation useful to the broader health and education systems.

Managerial, social, cultural changes at hospital

Prof Ongolo Zogo also used the presser to outline a series of managerial, social and cultural changes implemented at the hospital. Among these is the creation of a social mediation position aimed at preventing and resolving conflicts between staff and users, as well as between employees and management. 

The Director General also cited the optimisation of internship management through a dedicated office, the restructuring of the stewardship and hygiene service, now operating around the clock, and the establishment of ethics committees and an Ethics Café as part of the hospital’s governance reforms.

These initiatives, he said, show that the hospital is not simply a place where patients receive treatment, but also a space requiring trust, listening, ethical conduct and constructive dialogue.

The magazine, he said, is expected to give visibility to these reforms, while creating a platform for interaction with users and media professionals. Plans are said to be underway to eventually make the publication available online, allowing wider access and facilitating interaction with readers.

Taking the floor, the head of the social mediation office of the hospital, Agathe Nolla Babena, noted that they have been tasked with helping establish dialogue, ease tensions and strengthen trust within the hospital community. She noted that so far, they have been able to settle over 50 of such cases among patients and nurses.

Patients and families, she said, have raised concerns over prolonged waiting times, perceived high costs and discomfort in reception areas.

The diagnosis has since informed a five-pillar action plan centred on improving internal and external communication, increasing staff participation in decision-making, rehabilitating critical infrastructure, strengthening managerial and technical capacities, and institutionalising mediation as a cross-cutting mechanism.

The Head of Administrative and Finance Unit, Bouba Glory Nalela, said thanks to the reforms put in place by management, they have been able to address organisational difficulties, unequal distribution of incentives, workload, outdated procedures, delays associated with the centralisation of payments, inadequate infrastructure and equipment, overcrowding, hygiene concerns and strained relations in high-pressure departments such as emergency services.

She noted that communication problems were also identified, including insufficient signage and incomplete or contradictory information that fueled misunderstandings and rumours. This, she said, have been resolved.  

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3882 of Tuesday August 18, 2026