Major changes to healthcare training bring hope for standards

The training of health professionals in Cameroon will undergo major transformation and changes to meet international standards, officials of the country’s Ministry of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, have announced.

At a joint recent meeting in Yaounde, the Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo, said the decision is geared at modernising and standardising the training of medical and health professionals in the country in line with internationally accepted standards.

“Improving the quality of training of health professionals in the country is key to attaining better healthcare in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said.

Ndongo announced the phasing out of the higher health technicians and higher national diploma programmes in healthcare training. These will be replaced by the licence-masters-doctorate (LMD) system that has already been adopted by the government as part of the university reform.

Programmes should align with international standards

The training of health personnel in different diploma categories will be brought in line with the LMD system. The reforms were passed into law in July 2023.

Ndongo said the updated reforms called for systematic harmonisation of all professional training in the higher education system. This decision marks a major step in the transition towards more comprehensive training programmes that are aligned with global standards, he added.

Higher education authorities say most professional training systems in Cameroon, including the health sector, were limited to one- or two-year diplomas in healthcare training, hence the need to provide opportunities for quality training through full degree programmes to ensure better healthcare output.

“Stretching out the professional training to full degree programmes and subsequent masters and doctorates will improve the quality of the personnel and permit our graduates to compete anywhere in the world,” Professor Wilfred Gabsa Nyongbet, secretary-general in the ministry of higher education told University World News.

Changes could contribute to reaching SDGs

UNESCO reported on its website on 4 August 2022 that access to quality education and lifelong learning is a path to ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all. In the race to 2030, SDG 4 (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all) can accelerate progress for all other fundamental rights, including SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages).

The article called for “improved health education outcomes for all learners through support to national education sectors and other key stakeholders to adopt a comprehensive approach to school health and well-being. This, in turn, will contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, particularly those at the nexus of education, health, and gender equality”.

The government also announced that the process of authorising health training institutions will be stricter. Existing training institutions will undergo evaluation to ensure they meet the accepted standards before being authorised to continue training.

A joint team of experts from the ministries of public health and higher education, with the participation of representatives of the National Order of Medical Doctors and Health Professionals will be created to conduct the evaluation tasks, it was disclosed.

This measure should guarantee the quality and compliance of training institutions.

Transition period of two years allowed

State media reported that, during a meeting on 11 July 2024 to plan for the 2024-25 academic year, higher education authorities instructed university heads to comply with the harmonisation programme in all professional and vocational training programmes put in place by the government. They should also make sure the courses are sustainable and professional.

In the new health training programme announcement, a two-year transition period has been put in place for students currently enrolled in the diploma programmes to complete their courses. After the two years, the government’s new harmonised programme and training period will take effect.

The changes also require health graduates in degree programmes to demonstrate their competence by passing a rigorous aptitude exam administered by the ministry of public health. “This exam will ensure that they have the knowledge and skills necessary to practice in the health field,” Manaouda Malachie, minister of public health, said during the meeting.

In addition, diploma graduates will have to complete an additional year of specialised training at affiliated schools, followed by a national certification exam to obtain their degree, he said.

Chaotic training needs attention

The reforms are driven by the desire to align the education system with the globally adopted Bachelor-Masters-Doctorate system and ensure that healthcare professionals are well equipped to meet the current challenges of the sector, the government said.

Health training experts hope the changes will go a long way towards addressing the disorder that has characterised the sector, calling on the government to stand to the challenge of the planned actions.

“These changes have been long awaited. The training of paramedical personnel (nurses, midwives, lab technicians, physiotherapy technicians, dental therapists, radiology technicians, and nutritionists) in the country has been chaotic, with a plethora of institutions not well equipped and adapted to such training,” Dr Nick Ngwanyam, the founder and CEO of St Louis University Institute in Cameroon, told University World News.

He said that the problem lies with the fact that the ministries of public health and of higher education authorise institutions to train paramedical staff without ensuring that they have the right facilities for such training. He said there are 167 such training institutions in the country under both ministries with no clear follow-up on performance to ensure quality.

He expressed the hope that a harmonised curriculum that meets international standards and rigor in the authorisation of training institutions as proposed by the government will improve the situation.