8,000 mosquito nets for SW region

The disclosure was made by the Regional Delegate of Public Health for the South West, at a coordination meeting in Kumba.
By Atemnkeng Evaristius, Nkeze Linda (UB Intern) in K’ba
Public health practitioners in the Southwest Region have promised to improve on the quality of health services rendered to the public despite the many challenges they are facing. They made the pledge during the second quarter Regional Coordination meeting of Public Health services of the Southwest Region, on August 20-21, 2015 in Kumba.
    The two-day coordination meeting brought together over 100 District Medical Officers and other health personnel from the 18 medical districts in the Region. Discussions were guided by the theme “Stakeholders Responsibility in Strengthening District Health Action”.
    It provides a forum during which public health personnel of region meet and brainstorm on successes and challenges recorded during the previous semester, and also propose collective solutions for a better way forward. 
    Shortage of man-power in both quality and quantity is the greatest challenge faced by the health sector of the region, officials noted. The doctor-to-patient ratio is to small, with one doctor having to consult at least 200 or more patients in a day in some hospitals in region.
    The Regional Delegate of Health for the SW however lauded government efforts to improve on the quality of health services in the country.
    Dr. Victor Mbome Njie revealed that over 8,000 treated mosquito bed nets will soon be distributed in the region. Also, the construction of a University Teaching Hospital complex would soon go underway, Dr. Njei assured.  He reminded the public of the need to sleep under mosquito nets if they must prevent malaria. He urged the public to also improve on environmental hygiene as a way of preventing the breeding of mosquitoes.

     “We need to work seriously on the hygiene and sanitation of our communities; we should not just say we have mosquito nets and forget about hygiene and sanitation,” Dr. Njie stressed.
    On his part the Director of the Kumba District Hospital, Dr. Ebongo Zacheus, explained that the meeting was a forum for medical doctors to exchange ideas and share experiences on health related issues.
    Dr. Ebongo enjoined the population of Meme in general and Kumba in particular, to always take their health problems to hospitals that provide quality health services, and to avoid falling prey to quacks who pass around for medical practitioners. He also advised the public to avoid taking roadside drugs because some the drugs could act as poisons to their systems. 
    Some of the presentations during the meeting included: PMTCT activities in the Southwest Region, hospital hygiene and sanitation, dialogue structure and mutual health review, management of acute malnutrition, malaria control, diseases surveillance etc.