The Cameroon Baptist Convention health services has officially launched a local capacity initiative aimed at putting in place a robust system of health care.

Presenting the project in Bamenda on Tuesday, the project director, Pius Tih Muffih stressed that the launched local capacity initiative project is one of the strategic approaches that aims at boosting the intake of antenatal care, ANC and preventive mother-to-child transmission, PMTCT services in the various health districts.

According to Tih, the CBC health board through the local capacity initiative will create and strengthen support structures, otherwise called dialogue structures in 30 districts to take an active part in leading, supporting, co-financing and co-managing health care programs.

“This project targets mobilizing, engaging and strengthening stakeholders ranging from district medical officers, district management teams, local councils and traditional authorities to win and take the lead in defining their own quality health care and working towards accomplishing it with resources mobilized by them.”

Tih noted that the strategy aligns well with PEPFAR’S focus on community engagement to enhance and optimize health service uptake and the sustainability of health programs in resource-limited countries like Cameroon. The multitude of attendants who turned up for the grand launching were informed that the approach to health care also ties with the current drive towards decentralization of services to local councils.

The goal of the project is to build the capacities of rural councils and district management teams through capacity building and supervision for sustainable quality HIV and AIDS services in the North West and South West regions given that the local capacity initiative project is a sub-project of HIV free North West and South West program.

The project also aims at mobilizing stakeholders to take ownership of ANC/PMTCT services to ensure sustainability. It seeks to revitalize and build the capacities of dialogue structures and rural councils for good governance, co-financing and co-management for sustainability of services.

While congratulating CBC health services for its relentless efforts in fighting HIV/AIDS in the country, Dr. Odile who deputized for the North West regional delegate of public health, expressed hope that at the end of the day, there would be well and functional health management committees with well-trained members to plan, implement and monitor health activities within their districts.

“We expect district management teams to follow up to ensure respect of good governance principles at all levels within the district and local councils playing a more defined and coordinated role including health care financing in the districts.” She also saw the improvement, monitoring and documentation of the health outcome by district teams and district health management committees empowered to monitor and ensure the smooth functioning of facilities within the district.

The local capacity initiative project which will last for three years will involve ten health districts of the North West and south West regions. In the North West region, it will concern Ako, Benakuma, Mbengwi, Tubah and Bafut while, Eyumojock, Konye, Wabane, Ekondo Titi and Bangem would be the targets in the South West region.

In another vein, the project is not an independent project as it aligns with the CDC/PEPFAR project. It is considered as a strategy to further sustain the accomplishments of the main project, HIV Free North West and South West.

The local councils and chiefs who are generally viewed as custodians of the populations will through this project be involved and even able to take the lead in planning, mobilizing, monitoring and participating in health care financing.

One of the highlights of the occasion was the presentation of over a dozen national and international awards which CBC health services has bagged since 2011 to 2014. Amongst them were the awards from the U.S government, Cameroon’s ministry of public health, North West regional delegation of public health and media awards.

The CBC health board director used the opportunity to eke out awards to Fon Chafah XI of Bangolan and the Lamido of Banyong for promoting health services in their Fondom and lamidat.