Healthcare and HIV prevention in Cameroon

Background information

The state health services in Cameroon are poorly developed. Their activities are mainly limited to the cities. One focus of the project is therefore healthcare provision in rural areas. The PCC runs the "Medical Institutions Manyemen" hospital. Acute and chronically ill patients - for example with tuberculosis, increasingly leprosy and the HI virus - are treated and advised there. Due to the crisis situation in the Anglophone regions, the number of HIV infections is rising again. The PCC offers help and solidarity for these people. Women and girls are severely affected as they have fewer opportunities to protect themselves. Legal advice, further training and income generation help to achieve economic independence and reduce the risk of infection. The political crisis in the Anglophone part of Cameroon is exacerbating the problems. The health services are also aimed at internally displaced persons. The training center for nursing staff is intended to improve the quality of healthcare in the long term.

Project goals

• Improving primary health care in rural areas
• Educating the population on health-related topics
• Contributions to the livelihood and medical treatment of people living with HIV and the fight against their discrimination and stigmatization.
• Education and training measures as well as legal counseling for people affected by HIV, especially for widows and orphans
• Reduce the number of new infections through outreach and education.
• Inclusion of internally displaced persons
• Training and further education for nurses at PresNuS (Presbyterian Nursing School) - now part of the University of Buea

Target group

The project focuses on the rural and disadvantaged population in southwestern Cameroon. Since the escalation of the political crisis in the Anglophone regions in 2016, which favors a significant increase in diseases such as leprosy, Manyemen Hospital also cares for internally displaced persons. One sub-target group is people living with HIV, especially widows and orphans. In addition, people who carry out educational work, such as health personnel and multipliers like parish priests and teachers, receive further training. Victims of gender-based violence can also receive help. Nurses are given the opportunity for training and continuing education at the PresNus center (Presbyterian Nursing School).

Activities

• Continuous education and training of medical and technical staff
• Awareness-raising and educational work on health-related topics within the framework of all church fields of work: in men's, women's and youth work, at all schools and training centers, in adult education and in health care
• Public relations and advocacy work, with a focus on ending stigma against people living with HIV.
• Helping gender-based violence through medical, psychosocial, and legal support.
• HIV testing and counseling, pastoral care, free distribution of antiretroviral medications, home care, and support for support groups.
• Income-generating measures for young people and women
• Inclusion of internally displaced persons in all measures

Project progress

The project offers reliable basic medical care, particularly in rural areas, and supports internally displaced persons in Cameroon. The PCC's HIV program focuses on prevention and counselling for those affected and also addresses issues such as sexuality and gender-based violence. In 2021, a center for nurse training was opened in Limbe to counteract the brain drain and improve healthcare. It will be co-financed by Mission 21 until 2025, after which the PCC will take over.