The Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services intend to scale up the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV by strengthening local dialogue structures.
The Health Services of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, CBC, have launched a new safe motherhood initiative. The Capacity Initiative Project, LCI, is aimed at giving people in the North West, South West, Centre and Littoral Regions access and opportunities to participate in a robust healthcare delivery system by preventing HIV transmission.
The launch took place on April 14, 2016, in Bamenda, chaired by North West Governor, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, in the presence of the Director of CBC Health Services, Prof. Tih Pius Muffih. The project was conceived by the CBC Health Services and is funded by United States of America’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, with the technical support of US-based Family Health Initiative 360. Focus will be on healthcare delivery, especially for mothers and children. The revamped project targets the 10 Health Districts of Bafut, Tubah, Benakuma, Mbengwi and Ako in the North West Region; and Konye, Bangem, Ekondo Titi, Eyumojock and Wabane in the South West Region.
The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, PMTCT, project, has as objective to ensure that no child is born with HIV. It is an essential step to ensuring an AIDS-free generation. The PMTCT initiative provides drugs, counseling and psychological support to enable pregnant and nursing mothers safeguard their babies against the HIV virus. Project activities include the development of success metrics to document functional dialogue structures from health areas to the regional level by December 2016, and support regional health authorities in ensuring regular dialogue. Revamped dialogue structures are expected to promote, support and follow up health interventions in ways that guarantee optimal outcomes and sustainability.
The CBC Health Services explained that the project was prompted by weak community support and participation in health activities in line with the country’s policy on the reorientation of primary healthcare. According to Prof. Tih, the project stimulates local partnership and collaboration between dialogue structures, councils and other key stakeholders, to increase healthcare support. Since 2011, the CBC Health Services have helped in improving access to health services, staff knowledge/skills, ensuring a systematic drop in HIV transmission from positive mothers to their babies, and a reduction in HIV infection in general.
