Health Projects
Health Projects undertaken in 2020-21
Generator for the Archdiocesan dispensary
Sr Louisa reported happily that the dispensary and the health coordination office can now continue to function even when there is no power because of the standby supply from the new generator. She said “invoices and bills are being printed regularly after each drug supply and the cold chain for substances in the drug store refrigerator is well maintained. We have not recorded any faulty results from the Laboratory reagents that we supply due to good storage”.
Health Projects undertaken in 2019-20
St Blaise Hospital fence
Internally displaced activities at Widikum with the distribution of Baby love kits to young adolescent pregnant women and mothers. This is an implementation of the Project “ Health care access to internally displaced persons in the Archdiocese of Bamenda.
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IDP Triplet mother benefitting from Baby Love kits. Their hospital bills for delivery were paid by the ADHOC commission.
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Generator installed at the Catholic Health Coordination office Bamenda
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Archdiocesan Healthcare Coordinator – Sr Louisa Abid
Sr Louisa took over the post previously occupied by Sr Sheila McElroy. She oversees the health centres in the Archdiocese, offering them monitoring, advice, support and supervision. She also coordinates the supply of medicines from the central pharmacy. She is enthusiastic in her work and helpfully sends us regular reports and updates. With the help of our funds for health, she has successfully provided educational sessions for staff and patients and acquired a vehicle to access the health centres for provision of management and supervision.
The report in June 2019 said: “It has continued to be very challenging running health services in the Archdiocese of Bamenda with the accelerated political instability in the Region. The many ghost town days and lock down days make it really difficult for health personnel and patients to move to the health units. Most of the health facilities are still open but not sustainable due to low patient turnout and patients not been viable to settle their hospital bills. Some health units still reported being attacked and threatened for treating victims of the existing war. It has been difficult to carryout regular health facility supervisions due to the prevailing insecurity. However, the office has been involved in a series of meetings with different humanitarian organizations on the field seeking strategies to increase health care to the people. The increasing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the felt suffering in the communities has tilted the attention of the office to assisting the IDPs”.
Her updates have included distressing stories of health staff having been attacked and kidnapped whilst on duty and the terrible condition of the displaced people coming from the bush. She told of Widikum health centre having admitted 135 patients when they only have bed capacity for 55 and reports many people have to be treated for free since they have no money.
“The strategy is to train health workers who can provide primary health care to the people in the areas with no access to health care. We are doing everything possible to keep Catholic health units open for it is a sign of hope for the people”
See Sr Louisa's healthcare report for January - June 2019 here
St Blaise Hospital – Mankon
St. Blaise Clinic lies within the Cathedral compound and has now been raised to the status of a hospital. To meet the expectations of a hospital a new doctor was sought and a nearby building is being renovated to become the Laboratory.
When we visited previously there was an operating theatre staffed by a doctor with experience but no qualified surgeon and there was 1 other permanent doctor practicing daily. The centre had 3 qualified nursing staff (1 per shift with 4 assistants), a Maternity dept (staffed separately) and an Out-Patient Dept with approx 500 patients seen per month.
Bamenda Funds have supported this establishment in the past and a large amount of money was spent in 2018 by a Trust fund that helped increase the water supply with a borehole. During our visit that year, a new laundry facility was being built (see photo 1) but they also need new beds and decoration (see photo 2).
Photo 1
Photo 2
St Theresa’s Catholic Health Centre – BUKOW / BAMESSING
Phase 1 of the new building
Originally a small health centre at Bukow. When we visited in 2010 there were only 3 staff working to cover a 24hr service – a nurse, a lab technician and a healthcare assistant. 
The conditions were basic and there were plans to bring electricity from the main road and the possibility of the local Fon (chief) providing some land to extend the centre. Unfortunately, a land dispute resulted in the whole health centre having to be moved along the road to parish land.
An application was submitted for Bamenda Funds to renovate the church hall as the new centre and since 2015 (with the assistance of an anonymous donor, the parish of St Joseph & Margaret Clitherow in Bracknell and general Bamenda Funds), we have completed the initial plan. This facility proved so successful that it fast outgrew itself and they applied to extend and equip the building further.
When we visited in January 2018 the staff proudly greeted us as the local school children sang their thanks. Since that time the Health Centre in Bamessing has sadly had to be temporarily closed due to the crisis but the phase 2 project work is going on as circumstances permit.
NJINIKOM HOSPITAL AND PROJECT HOPE
A large and impressive hospital, Bamenda Funds has in the past contributed towards the maternity & surgical building (above), the laboratory and the Dream Van (below) which distributes the IV fluids and eye ointments made on site. Sr Jethro is Matron here (below).
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St Colman with St Paul parish in Cosham / Paulsgrove is linked with the Hospital and sends regular donations from their monthly penny bucket collections. The last project used these funds to construct a building within which there are kitchen facilities for relatives to produce meals for their family who are unwell. (photo bellow)
Recently the funds have been sent to help support healthcare in the current crisis. People have been unable to access treatment either because they have been too afraid to travel to the hospital or because they are unable to afford to pay. 100 staff had to be laid off temporarily because the hospital had been unable to pay the staff with few fees coming in. See the letter here sent by the order of St Francis about the impact of the crisis on healthcare provision.
The parish funds enabled the hospital to hold a subsidised health event at which they checked and treated 269 people over two days. See the full report here. Subsequent funds are purchasing medications and providing outreach work.
Project Hope
Project Hope (based at the hospital) is an outreach project until recently supporting more than 1,900 clients, offering psycho-education, HIV testing, counselling and treatment. They use community volunteers and peer educators in the workforce. Work in the treatment centre had stopped when we arrived in 2012 as there were NO drugs left. They had seen over 300 patients in the first 23 days of that year
Our Cathedral parish adopted Project Hope’s youth education project as their special advent collection in 2013 – even Fr James McAuley abseiled down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth to raise funds! Project Hope has also received support from Hampshire Downs and Christ the King parishes and an anonymous donor. More here
During the anniversary visit in 2014, members of Clinicare presented a cheque for £1000 for HIV test kits and supplies (photo bellow).
Sadly in the present crisis, the incidence of HIV is increasing again and many people have fled the area around Njinikom.
HIV Support group - Bamenda
Sr Sheila McElroy’s contract as Healthcare Coordinator ended in 2015 and after 33 years serving in Africa she returned to her order in Ireland to care for the elderly or sick sisters of the Holy Rosary community.
A support group for people with HIV which Sr Sheila co-facilitated with Pa Nsom (Fr Bernadine Nsom’s father) continues. The group support each other well with income generating activities and advice and support on healthy daily living. They speak movingly of their gratitude for our help through Bamenda Funds. (photo of group bellow).
PAST PROJECTS
St Martin de Porres Health Centre – WUM
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| 2010 Shower Block | 2011 Shower block | 2012 Laundry facility |
The toilet and shower block at this health centre (contributed to by Bamenda funds) is now completed and functioning. The nursing station (previously the washroom) was reorganised without need for further funds. Some on-going work aims to enclose the Health Centre and obtain a security guard to prevent so many patients leaving without paying their fees! Another current local project is aiming to build and equip a laundry facility (above right) and thereafter to improve the canteen area. Currently the parish hall lies within the Health Centre compound. Ideally, the matron would like this to change since she feels it is too disruptive and noisy for patients. Her hope would then be to turn the hall structure into a canteen and children’s area. This requires liaison with the parish.
During our 40th anniversary visit in 2014, we were able to see the new incubator purchased with funds which were raised collaboratively by Clinicare and a youth group in Christchurch.
In 2015, a project has been started to improve the water supply to the health centre. The Health Centre is applying for £930. Two personal donations have already been received to contribute towards this.
St Patrick’s Health Centre Babanki-Tungo
In recent years, the local community in collaboration with the Healthcare Coordinator and Bamenda Funds have extended this rural health centre from a single block to 3 wings. It is now being run by the ‘Sisters of the Cross’. One doctor visits for monthly consultations.
Clinicare International (a small local charity working as a health arm of the Bamenda link) was successful in obtaining a grant for £7,500 from the Guernsey Overseas Aid Commission to fund a generator and air conditioning unit for the operating theatre. Clinicare also provided the centre with operating theatre instrument kits for routine operations.
In 2015 Bamenda Funds contributed £1000 to paint the new structure.
St John of God Health Centre – BATIBO
This health centre submitted an application in 2014 for 6 hospital beds and a laboratory incubator to aid diagnosis. Clinicare adopted and supported this project in full.
Sad news received in the crisis of their outreach team being attacked.
SAJOCAH – Bafut
Saint Joseph’s Rehabilitation Centre for Children and Adults with Disabilities. The matron is Sr Judith Bih, of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis (TSSF)
The walkway and railings (right) were built many years ago with the support of our funds to help the children get around under shelter as they practise their rehabilitation exercises.
The nuns who run the centre would like to develop a building to use for people who have suffered from strokes. They are eager to have a quiet area for the adult patients away from the noise and bustle of the remainder of the centre which accommodates and rehabilitates the children with disabilities.
They have no funding currently secured for their plans and no present resources for staffing such an area although this was not perceived to be a problem. The centre welcomes volunteers with appropriate skills.
St Theresa’s Medical Health Centre – Bafut
In 2010, Bamenda Funds assisted with £5000 to improve the water supply. Reports since then report that the well is functioning but needs cleaning every year and that there is still water shortage during the dry season.
They have ambitious plans to upgrade the health centre to a hospital and move their small and leaky out-patient dept into the main hospital.
Baba 1 Health Centre
This is a Health Centre of 32 beds, 9 staff, 3 SRNs. Run by the La Sante Union (LSU) sisters. Matron, a lay person, had been there for 15yrs (and remembered Intercare and Clinicare medicines arriving in the past).
They have a doctor practicing every day and a surgeon will perform operations but their machine for monitoring patient vital signs during surgery is not operational and so they monitor these manually.
They too have a broken Incubator (Thermostat problems) and were planning to contact the supplier. They reported problems getting medicines.
La Verna HIV/ Aids group
We visited La Verna Convent during 2012 but unfortunately, due to communication problems they had been unaware of our visit and were not expecting us. La Verna functions as a retreat centre. The HIV group had been taken over by someone new and so we were unable to get any clear feedback on the project. We were told that they were submitting an application for financial assistance to run health education seminars and support groups (none has as yet been received).
The nuns at the convent also spoke about having received 2million cfas for ABEF funds. They are aware of orphans living with extended families who have difficulty paying the children’s school fees. The sisters identify which families are most in need and facilitate access to the funds but always insist on a contribution. Fr Anthony Banksi suggested that the small Christian communities could help with the identification of those who were struggling. Bamenda Funds has regularly supported the Archbishop’s Education Fund.