By Walter Wilson Nana
The health billing of the elderly people in Cameroon and some parts of the world is problematic in its management. Worried with the current situation and also interested in being part of the solution, three health institutions in Cameroon and the USA have decided to take action on the issues.
Officials from the Philadelphia based Universities of Drexel & Temple respectively at the seminar in Buea, Cameroon
This is the motive of an international seminar christened; “Geriatric Nursing Practice in Cameroon: Considering Options” that the St. Veronica Medical Centre, SVMC, Buea, organised recently, in partnership with Drexel University School of Nursing & Health Professions and Temple University, all in Philadelphia, USA.
According to the Registrar of SVMC, Michel Maboh Nkwati, Geriatric Nursing is the specialised care for the elderly persons, especially for people who are 65 and above.
He noted that there is a place for the practice in Cameroon since a good chunk of the population is more than 65 years old. “The fact that we have elderly people in our homes and society in general, there is need for that specialised care. Our nurses are there for general care and treatment, but that is substandard. We’ve to train people in that domain and give them special qualifications in order to care for the elderly,” he explained.
Officials of Drexel University, SVMC and participants pose for a family picture
On how easy it is to fuse geriatric practice and a culturally oriented Cameroonian community and the African society in general, Nkwati said courses in Geriatric Nursing take in to consideration the socio-cultural set-up of the society. “We are open-minded and we take note of our cultural values when it comes to medical care. We have incorporated it into a holistic care plan for the elderly,” he added.
Nkwati mentioned that though they have been offering courses on Geriatric Nursing at SVMC for two years, they are interested in breaking new grounds. “We are partnering with Drexel and Temple Universities respectively so as to learn new ideas, build on what we’re doing already and tap from their very rich experiences of the yesteryears. We also invited sister institutions in Cameroon to be part of the seminar so that they can take a leaf from what we are doing,” he said.
In a discourse dubbed “Geriatric Nursing Practice In The USA,” Dr. Jean MacFadyen from Drexel University said there is a way of taking care of the elderly in the USA, which is not necessarily perfect but meeting the needs of the target group. “We came to share our good practices and principles with SVMC and the Cameroonian people on Geriatric Nursing. So, we will strongly encourage that our ideas be contextualised for Cameroon in the processes of delivering geriatric health care to the population,” she noted.
She lauded the initiative of the NGO Care for the Elderly, Widows and Orphans, CEWO for being able to put together and assess the needs of the elderly in various communities in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. “That is something we’ve learnt that is not found in the US system. CEWO is organised with their record keeping, the processes of tracking the abandoned and the destitute and their ability to source for funding. We are impressed with that,” she said.
The Coordinator of CEWO, George Bejoka prayed for a defined policy for the elderly in Cameroon, especially in the areas of agriculture and health management.
Buea Mayor, Charles Mbella Moki makes a statement at the seminar
Charles Mbella Moki, the Mayor of Buea municipality said the SVMC is a success story in the municipality thanks to their enormous development efforts. He entreated the officials of the aforementioned, high-level health institutions in Philadelphia to not only contribute to the development of SVMC but to the Buea municipality in general, saying there are plethora of options for partnerships between the Buea Council and the Drexel and Temple Universities respectively.
Francis Lawrence Biaka & Mrs Francisca Biaka, Administrators of the St Veronica Medical Centre, SVMC, Buea, Cameroon
Earlier, the Administrator of SVMC, Francisca Biaka said like many Cameroonians they are also interested in the health and other issues pertaining to the quality of life of the aging citizens.
She said theirs is to contribute significantly to the health of the elderly people in Cameroon and provoke health policy discussions and debates on the issue. “Aware of the complex needs of this group of people, we’ve engaged and received support from stakeholders like the Ministries of Health, Social Affairs, Employment & Vocational Training respectively, NGOs like CEWO and our international partners to ensure that our interventions lead to improvement of the general quality of life of the elderly,” Biaka noted.
