French Ambassador to Cameroon, Christine Robichon, has declared that the Cameroon Baptist Convention-Health Board truly embodies the best civil society can offer in Cameroon.

Christine Robichn made that statement on September 28, in Bamenda before proceeding to laying the foundation stone for the construction of the Nkwen Baptist Maternity Health Centre.

Harping on the partnership between the French Development Agency, C2D and the CBC Health Services, Christine Robichon said that “by providing health care in rural areas to all the population, the CBC HB has helped over one million patients.”

She also applauded the CBC HB due to the fact that more than 10, 000 women were able to give birth in safe conditions. “The quality, availability and compassion of its staff does not need to be proven anymore. This is why supporting CBC-HB is an evidence for France”.

She emphasized that the direct loan provided by the French Development Agency to CBC will allow them to expand and improve services in four hospitals and four health centers. She revealed that the reason for teaming up with the CBC HB to put in place good infrastructure cannot be over emphasized given that upon completion, “this building will house 80 beds, an ante-natal clinic, a dental and eye service, turning the Nkwen Health Center into a regional health solution hub for the population of Bamenda and Mezam.”

In presenting the CBC Health Services to the French Ambassador and entourage, Prof. Tih Pius Muffih, the Director of Health Services said that the structure is more than 60 years old and addresses both clinical and public health problems affecting individuals, families and communities in Cameroon.

“We run 7 hospitals, 29 integrated health centers, 50 primary healthcare centers, a pharmaceutical production and distribution department, a training school for health personnel, residency training programs in general surgery and internal medicine, services for people with disabilities, a comprehensive AIDS care and Prevention program and many other services.

He expressed gratitude to the French government for the partnership which will go a long way to upgrade healthcare facilities of the Cameroon Baptist Convention –Health Services through the construction/completion of 9 healthcare infrastructures, the procurement of medical equipment and upgrading of the management systems of the structures.

“We committed ourselves to implementing the projects in accordance with the terms of the agreement. We have kept to that commitment. In line with our vision of providing quality healthcare to 100.000 more Cameroonians annually,” Prof. Tih added.

The Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) where Prof. Tih is Director is a nonprofit, Faith-based healthcare organization, which started over 60 years ago in a small village (Mbem), Nwa Sub Division in Donga/Mantung Division of the North West Region. It has over the years expanded into six of Cameroon's 10 regions: Northwest, Southwest, Center, West, Adamawa, and Littoral.

Prof. Tih oversees these structures that range from village Primary Health Care to highly specialized hospital based care with an integration of other social services. Notably, the CBCHS comprises of 6 hospitals (2 of which are 250 bed hospitals), over 25 integrated Health Centers, 50 primary Health Centers, Pharmaceutical procurement and distribution department, a Baptist Training School for Health Personnel (BTSHP), a Center for Clinical Pastoral Education and Social Services (CECPES), Services for People with Disabilities, among others.

The CBCHS works in partnership with national and international governmental and nongovernmental health care organizations, and funding agencies in Africa and other parts of the world.

Besides, Prof. Tih thought of the rural poor women when he initiated, with a friend, a loan scheme for women. This was another action similar to that of de Montaigne’s Duress for the scope of activities within the CBCHS spans beyond healthcare provision as it equally participates in poverty alleviation. This was by sponsoring micro project loans to women through the Women’s Initiative for Health Education, and Economic Development Cameroon (WINHEEDCAM).

To better manage these loans and provide trustworthy banking services, the Board created the Mutual Guarantee Financing Company (MUGFIC), a microfinance institution, which functions with credibility, efficiency and transparency to enable the rural poor to invest in productive activities and become self-dependent.

In the domain of training, the CBCHS’s Baptist Training School for Health Personnel (BTSHP) trains certified nurses, midwives, dental assistants; laboratory, pharmacy, x-ray, physiotherapy, biomedical assistants and primary health care technicians.

The school also offers personnel of the CBCHS screening and other specialized trainings. One important achievement of CBCHS is the fact that the organisation has gone beyond first level training to offer specialized training in various domains like the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) residency program, the Christian Internal Medicines Specialization (CIMS) program, and so on. Medical students and residents from Cameroon, the United States, Canada, Britain, Switzerland and Germany visit the CBCHS every year for practical experiences in Tropical Medicines.

The organisation also offers unique opportunities for medical and paramedical practitioners to volunteer their services for patients while at the same time giving the Cameroonian staff the chance to upgrade their skills.

Cameroonian and expatriate physicians equally offer high quality health services in many institutions of the CBCHS around the country. This has raised the organisation’s institutions to some of the most excellent medical infrastructure in Cameroon and the Central and West African sub regions. In fact Mbingo and Banso Baptist Hospitals are ranked among the highest referral hospitals in Cameroon, today.