Mbingo Baptist Hospital
Cameroon
- Hospital Website
- www.cbchealthservices.org
- Mission Organization
- Cameroon Baptist Convention
- Perfil
- Mbingo Baptist Hospital is located in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It is a 310-bed facility: 70 surgical, 46 orthopedics, 30 male medical, 34 female medical, 10 infectious disease/isolation, (20+6 isolation) pediatrics, 22 maternity, 24 Hanson's disease/ulcer ward, four semi-private and eight adult private rooms. Long-term expatriate staff include two American general surgeons, one American internist, and one American internist/pathologist. There are also two Cameroonian ophthalmologists, one Cameroonian ENT surgeon, one Cameroonian general surgeon, and 11 Cameroonian nurse anesthetists. The Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) is training nine surgery residents and the Christian Internal Medicine Specialization (CIMS) has 18 residents.
- El viaje
- Fly by commercial air to the city of Douala. Please Do NOT book your own international flights before talking with the logistics coordinator at World Medical Mission. Do NOT book flights using Air Maroc and Turkish Air due to the middle of the night flights. Monetary savings does not equal the safety issue that could arise. The following morning there is a seven-hour drive on a paved road to Mbingo. Upon arrival at the hospital, volunteers are briefed by one of the physicians he will be working with. A short tour of the hospital is given by one of the hospital administrators or a physician. Further orientation is achieved through interaction with expatriate and national staff.
- Diferencia de la hora local
- +5 hours daylight saving Time, +6 hours Eastern Standard Time
- El idioma
- English, French, and Pidgin English are the primary languages spoken at the hospital. There are numerous local languages.
- El clima
- Temperatures range from 60F–85F. Humidity varies from 40 percent to 80 percent. Rainy season is March through October. The dry season is November through February. No air conditioning is needed at the plateau elevation of 4,000 feet.
- El alojamiento
- Accommodations are in a guesthouse with kitchen facilities for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also a hostel with all meals provided.
- Common Diseases/Trauma
- System-wide, the four leading diseases treated at the hospitals are malaria, URTI/LRTI, gastritis/PUD, and hypertension. The leading causes of death are AIDS, malaria, road/traffic accidents, TB, pneumonia, meningitis, congestive heart failure, and hypertension. HIV prevalence is decreasing gradually. About 4% of potential blood donors are positive for HIV, and about 21% of all hospitalized patients are positive. The most common “notifiable” disease is TB, twice as common as typhoid fever, and three times more than cerebrospinal meningitis. Measles, polio, cholera, rabies, yellow fever and leprosy are uncommon. Traumatic fractures and soft tissue injuries present regularly.
- Anesthesia
- Draw-over equipment is used mainly, with a few anesthesia machines. Types of anesthesia include spinal, sedation and GA with LMA or intubation/paralysis as needed. Isofluorane is the only inhalation agent.
- Charting
- English. Translators are available for patient interaction.
- Dental
- Dental procedures, including making dentures, are performed by Cameroonian dental technicians.
- Lab Tests
- Comparable U.S. range of lab tests are available.
- Obstetrics
- The hospital has over 800 deliveries each year, with a high rate of twins and triplet births compared to North America. The C-section rate is high with many high-risk deliveries and obstetrical complications referred in from outlying health centers. There is high infertility in the region. There is no full-time OB/GYN ex-pat presently at Mbingo.
- Oncology
- We have a full-time oncologist giving full service treatment to our cancer patients.
- Ophthalmology
- Two operating tables available for eye surgeries. Fully equipped ophthalmology suite with a 20 power microscope and capability to perform cataract and retinal surgeries. Surgeries are performed Tuesday and Thursday with Monday, Wednesday, and Friday designated as clinic days. Visiting short-term ophthalmologists' primary role would be teaching new techniques to the two full-time Cameroonian ophthalmologists.
- Pathology
- There is need for interpretation of fine needle aspiration specimens, body fluid cytology, grossing of general surgical specimens and interpretation of H&E stained sections. Currently, the only special stains available are AFB and Gram stain. Reports can be dictated using Dragon Naturally software that is in place. A digital camera is attached to the microscope so that consultation can be obtained if desired using emailed images. There are opportunities for the volunteer pathologist to perform fine needle aspirations, or these can be done by residents who have been instructed in the technique, if the pathologist prefers. Other diseases seen are those common in North America, with an increasing number of oncology patients. Procedures available include echocardiography, GI endoscopy, FNAs.
- Pediatrics
- The 26-bed pediatrics ward includes a four-bed ward for children on treatment for oncology. There is an extensive Burkitt’s education and treatment program, supervised by our own oncologist. We have a full-time Cameroonian pediatrician. Pediatric sub-specialties are needed to assist with difficult cases.
- Radiology
- Radiology services are busy, with 8,000 X-rays and 7,800 ultrasounds done annually. There is a fixed X-ray machine and ultrasound machines. Two ultrasounds machines are in the OR and one is in the maternity suite with a portable one available for FNAs. Echocardiography is available. There is one full-time Cameroonian radiologist on staff. There is a new CT Scanner that was installed in 2017.
- Surgery
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There are nine rooms including an ophthalmological suite. The hospital performs over 3,000 major operations and 5,500 minor operations per year. They are well equipped with nails and plates for orthopedic surgeries, and with video endoscopy with a range of scopes. There is fluoroscopy capability and laparoscopic surgery is done. Fine needle aspirations are done. There is no portable X-ray in the operating rooms. Surgeries are performed daily with Cameroonian nurse anesthetists doing most of the anesthesia. The surgery services cover a broad spectrum of surgical diseases including pediatric, adult general surgery, urology, neurosurgery, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedics and ENT.
Mbingo is a Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons or PAACS program participant. PAACS has established surgical training programs at Christian hospitals in Africa. PAACS residents rotate working under the surgical sub-specialists. Short term volunteers in both general surgery and sub-specialties (also anesthesia and radiology) should understand that teaching and not doing cases is their primary goal. The curriculum is similar to the United States with both formal lecturing and hands-on. Volunteers should be in direct contact with hospital field staff prior to departure to prepare for their teaching role. Didactic lectures given by long-term and short-term personnel are provided for the residents on our academic day, Thursday.
- Teaching
- There is an Internal Medicine Specialization Residency program in addition to PAACS. The hospital also trains young physicians in their “house officer” (intern) year as well as nurse practitioners and nurse screeners (triage nurses). There is a three-year training program for nurse anesthetists. Volunteers interested in formal teaching should be in direct contact with hospital field staff prior to departure to prepare for their teaching role. Didactic lectures given 3 days a week by long-term and short-term personnel are provided for the residents. Contributing 1–2 lectures per week on any subject pertinent to general or tropical medicine, though not required, is very helpful in reducing the work load of the long-term personnel.
- Urology
- The primary urologic issues at Mbingo are urinary retention, prostate carcinoma urethral strictures, VVFs post-partum, and undescended testes.
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