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Baptist Hospital Mutengene (BHM) offers medical, spiritual and psychosocial care. The hospital sees at least 5,012 patients per month with different health problems from various towns like Buea, Limbe, Tiko, Kumba, etc. in the South West Region, and Douala, Nkongsamba, etc. in the Littoral Region. The hospital started on January 24, 1994 as a Health Centre to meet the health needs of the growing population of Baptist Christians in the Fako Division of the South West Region, which had been seeking quality healthcare services with a spiritual touch. It finally became a full hospital in 2007 following decision No 1803/A/MSP/SG/DOSTS/SPSP/BFSPC of September 24, 2007 signed by Cameroon’s Minster for Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda.
Location
Baptist Hospital Mutengene (BHM) is situated 200m from the main road leaving Mutengene to Limbe (popularly called Limbe Road) in the Fako Division of the SW Region of Cameroon.
Working Hours
BHM operates 24/7
Staffing
The hospital has 157 permanent workers including 4 permanent medical doctors (1 specialist – a Dentist and 3 General Practitioners) and 4 screeners. The hospital also has 8 casual workers, thus bringing the total number to 165 staff of all categories.
Baptist Hospital Mutengene offers its clients the following services:
- Out-patient Services (Medical consultation)
- In-patient Services (Hospitalization)
- Dental Services
- Eye Care
- General Surgery
- Treatment and Injection Services
- Clinical imaging (Ultrasound, EGG and X-ray)
- Pharmacy
- Drugstore
- HIV & AIDS Prevention and Care
- Laboratory services
- Physiotherapy
- Maternity Services (including Reproductive Health/Family planning)
- Tuberculosis clinic
- Diabetes services
- Burkitt’s Lymphomia services
- Chaplaincy/Social services
- Catering Services
- Security Services
- Maintenance services
- Projects
- Contact us
Out-patient Services (Medical consultation)
Out-patient services in Baptist Hospital Mutengene are well developed, speedy and qualitative. No matter the number of patients at any given time, the four Screeners and four Medical Doctors on seat offer them the best consultation they can receive. Cases requiring hospitalisation or observation are placed under in-patient care. The screeners work in close collaboration with the Doctors in the hospital in diagnosing patients’ problems to ensure that they receive appropriate treatment. Cases beyond the ability of the Screeners are referred to the Doctors in the hospital who determine whether to offer full treatment on the spot, refer them to specialists in other health institutions, or programme them for the next visit of some specialists (like the eye specialist from Mbingo Baptist Hospital in the case of an eye problem). In general, out-patients receive consultation, prescription (sometimes after laboratory tests) and return home to continue with medications they have been prescribed. Most services offered in the hospital fall under this category. Back to top^
In-patient Services (Hospitalization)
Baptist Hospital Mutengene has a bed capacity of 45 to accommodate cases that require hospitalisation. This category of patients include those on drips and/or under observation, surgical cases, serious accident victims, cases demanding close follow-up and monitoring, etc. Here, patients are offered 24/7 medical attention with a doctor available in case of aggravation.Back to top^
The hospital has been offering dental care to clients since 1996. The Dental Department sees at least 300 clients a month with various dental problems up from 120 at creation. The department has one permanent Dental Surgeon (Dentist) assisted by two Dental Therapists and one Dental Assistant. It is equipped with modern dental instruments that enable its committed staff to offer clients the following services:
- Extraction
- Fillings (Composite, Glass ionomer cement (Gic), Amalgam, etc)
- Root Canal Therapy plus Apicectomy
- Scaling and polishing (cleaning)
- Prosthesis (Dentures, full and partial)
- Minor oral surgeries (wiring, operculectomy, etc)
- Dental X-ray service
- Etc., etc. Back to top^
The Eye Department in BHM is getting busier and busier as the population of the South West Region and its environs have realised that the quality of medical care in the department since creation in 1999, is unparalleled in the area. The department is the best furnished Eye Care unit in the SW Region with ultra modern machines used in detecting and handling all eye-related problems. It has a 17-bed ward for the observation of clients who have received eye surgery. The eight qualified permanent staff of the Eye Department see an average of 700 patients a month with diverse eye problems up from 300 in 1999. Services offered include the following:
- Daily Consultations from Monday to Saturday
- Monthly Eye Surgery carried out by a visiting Ophthalmologist from Mbingo Baptist Hospital. He carries out procedures like cataract extractions with intraocular lens implant (IOL) using the latest technique called Small Incision Cataract Surgery (SICS), Trabeculectomy for glaucoma patients, etc.
- Optics for the edging, fitting and dispensing of glasses.
- Community outreach to screen for eye problems. Minor cases receive on the spot treatment and major ones referred to the hospital. Back to top^
Baptist Hospital Mutengene has carried out numerous surgeries since the Operating Room was set up in January 2005. According to statistics for 2008, the 9 well-skilled Doctors and nurses in the department handle about 27 surgeries every month. Procedures carried out in the BHM Operating Room includes, but not limited to, the following:
- Total Abdominal Hysterectomy
- Caesarean Section
- Herniorrhaphies
- Appendectomies
- Salpingoplasty
- Salpingectomy (mostly on ectopic pregnancies)
- Chest tube insertion and drainage
- Biopsies
- Adult male circumcision
- Lapanatomies (bowel problems)
- Lipomas and nodules excision and drainage
- Dilation and curettage (DTC)
- Haemorrhoidectomy
- Hydrocoelectomy
- Splenectomy
- Removal of kidney/bladder stones
- Tubal ligations (Post partum, Interval partum)
- Orchidopexy
- Skin grafts
- Etc., etc. Back to top^
Treatment and Injection Services
The Treatment and Injection Room of BHM serves as the minor surgical/ emergency unit of the hospital. It works in close collaboration with staff of the Operating Room when need arises. The Treatment and Injection Room receives at least 806 patients monthly. The procedures carried out here include the following among others:
- Ulcer care
- Toe nail extraction
- Ear Irrigation
- Neonatal circumcision (for male babies)
- Foreign body removal
- Suturing
- Paracenthesis
- Catheterisation
- Tongue tie release
- Incision and drainage
- Podophyline touch
- Injections
- Etc., etc. Back to top^
Clinical imaging (Ultrasound, EGG and X-ray)
This two-in-one department assesses the body organs for normalities/abnormalities using machines to help clinicians better assess and manage the health conditions of individuals.
The Ultrasound Unit attends to some 170 clients every month for various procedures – some on doctors’ recommendations and others on personal requests. The unit began in 2006 with a monthly client average of 83. The number has continued to steadily rise as the population finds the following services they receive here among others, very reliable.
- Abdominal scans
- Obstetric scans
- Gynaecological scans
- Small Body part scans (breast, neck (thyroid), scrotum and eye scans)
- Musculoskeletal scans
- Basic cardiac scans
- Ultrasound guided procedures
The X-ray Unit was set up in February 2009 and has done relatively much to alleviate clients’ sufferings. For this short period of its existence, the unit receives a minimum of 74 cases every month still either on individual requests or doctors’ recommendations. The following X-ray procedures are available here:
- Chest
- Abdomen
- Limbs
- Spine
- Skull
Other procedures that will soon begin in the unit are:
- Hysterosalpingography (HSG)
- Barium (Swallows, meals, follow through and enemas) examinations
- Intravenous pyelography (IVP)
- Cystogram, etc.
The Clinical Imaging Department also has an Electro-Cardiographic machine (ECG or EKG) used in monitoring electrical activities of the heart. Back to top^
This is the exit point of most patients who come to the hospital. The nine staff of BHM Pharmacy work in three shifts from 07h00 to 21h00 Cameroon time to better satisfy the ever growing number of patients. The Pharmacy does the following for BHM clients:
- Drug dispensing
- Compounding of extemporaneous products
- Pharmacy technicians carry out clinical pharmacy in wards
- Interventions with doctors/screeners when necessary
- Etc.
Other activities of the pharmacy comprise: collection of daily statistics on number of patients seen by each doctor, number of diabetic patients seen, general number of patients seen daily, etc. Back to top^
This is the hospital’s pharmaceutical supply unit where drugs for patients and other medical supplies used in the hospital are preserved. BHM’s drugstore is sufficiently equipped and manned by qualified personnel to effectively manage these drugs and supplies received from the CBCHB Central Pharmacy based in Mutengene for distribution to various departments of the hospital as needed. Back to top^
HIV & AIDS Prevention and Care
Activities geared towards fighting HIV & AIDS are well developed in Baptist Hospital Mutengene given that it is one of the centres approved by the Cameroon government to provide care and treatment to people living with the virus. The hospital hosts two separate programmes that provide HIV related similar and complementary services to the general public.Back to top^
Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT)
This component of the CBCHB AIDS Care and Prevention (ACP) programme seeks to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child using ARVs. BHM is one of three pioneer units of the programme in this region of the country, which started with monotherapy since creation in February 2002. Today PMTCT services have extended to other sites like mission, private, public and Para public health units. Staff of this programme are nurses adequately trained by the programme’s partners (the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) through the International Leadership Award (ILA), Action for West African Region (AWARE), USAIDS and the Columbian University) to handle all HIV related issues. BHM PMTCT receives close to 60 clients every month up from about 30 at creation. PMTCT services in the hospital comprise, but not limited to the following:
- Dispensing and monitoring of ARV intake by positive mothers.
- Treatment of exposed babies and counselling their moms on how to choose safe feeding options.
- Early infant diagnosis (EID) at 6 weeks and rapid test from 15 months to determine whether HIV exposed infants are infected or not.
- Training of PMTCT counsellors in both non- and CBC sites to ensure continuous quality services to clients.
- Implementation of PMTCT programmes in other sites (sites have grown from 1 at creation to 55 today).
- Data collection and analysis to better face new challenges in the programme.
- All forms of counselling (Voluntary Confidential Counselling and Testing (VCCT), counselling of spouses of pregnant women, sick men, or suspected cases to get tested, premarital, psychosocial, adherence, etc.).
- Collaborates with PMTCT focal point in the region to implement bi-therapy and tri-therapy in all sites in the region.
- Formation of support groups (hospital and community based) to improve care
- Etc., etc. Back to top^
This is the second of the two components of the AIDS Care and Prevention (ACP) programme of the CBCHB operating at BHM aimed at taking care of HIV infected and affected persons in our society. The centre went operational in March 2007 but was approved by the Cameroon government as a recognised HIV & AIDS treatment centre in September of the same year. The average number of clients seen in the centre per month has skyrocketed from barely 27 in 2007 to 1,417 today. The treatment centre is manned by 10 permanent staff, consisting of nurses, laboratory technicians and counsellors.. BHM Care and Treatment Centre renders clients the following services
- Counselling (Adherence, Psychosocial, Spiritual, Nutritional etc.)
- Enrolment of infected adults and exposed infants
- Screening and consultation of infected clients
- Follow-up of exposed infants and ART defaulters
- CD4 count and Biological test before ART initiation
- Dispensing of ARVs and opportunistic infection prophylaxis Back to top^
Care and Treatment Centre Laboratory
BHM Care and Treatment Centre equally runs an independent and well furnished laboratory with specialised equipment for immunology, biochemistry and haematology for care and treatment of HIV & AIDS. The laboratory carries out the following tests:
- T cell counts (CD4)
- Liver function
- Kidney function
- Blood glucose
- Hepatitis B infection
- Syphilis
- Complete blood counts
- Collection of dry blood spots for early infant diagnosis of HIV. Back to top^
Baptist Hospital Mutengene has a well equipped, developed and staffed laboratory. The 13 well trained and experienced staff of the laboratory range from equipment technicians up to senior laboratory technicians. The laboratory also serves as a site for a World Health Organisation (WHO)/Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) clinical research. It has initiated a process that is expected to lead to its accreditation by WHO/TDR and other international bodies. BHM laboratory sees an average of 2,500 clients monthly. The various tests carried in the laboratory can be grouped as follows:
- Serology Tests
- HIV
- Hepatitis B and C
- Chlamydia
- Syphilis
- Etc.
- Parasitology / Mycology
- Smears for malaria and other haemoparasites
- Filarial test
- Skin scraping for fungi test
- Cervico-vaginal and urethral Smear examinations
- Semen analysis
- Urine analysis
- Stool examination
- Pregnancy tests
- Biochemistry
- Tests to quantity for electrolytes
- Liver function tests
- Kidney function tests
- Estimation of haemoglobin concentration
- Glycaemia estimation (diabetes test)
- Analysis of body fluids
- Haematology
- Blood cell counts (white cells, red cells, platelets, etc.)
- Blood indices
- Haemostasis related tests
- Mycobacteriology
- BHM laboratory is an approved site for the diagnosis of AFB (Tuberculosis test) in sputum and other body substances.
- Bacteriology
- Cultures to test for sterility of breast milk for the breast milk bank
- Others
- Blood transfusion services
- Site for WHO/TDR clinical research Back to top^
Physiotherapy (PT) (also called Physical Therapy in American English) consists in using physical agents and methods to maintain and restore good health. In BHM, the PT Department operates on a one shift working period from 07h00 to 15h00 Cameroon time, Mondays to Saturdays and attends to some 200 clients every month. The department went operational in BHM in September 2004. BHM’s PT clients receive the following services:
- Consultation and postural evaluation
- Therapeutic exercises for patients
- Keep-fit exercises for non-patients
- Electrotherapy (electrical stimulation)
- Infrared therapy
- All forms of massage
- Splinting and casting with Plaster of Paris (POP)
- Correction of club feet
- Neck and back care instructions
- Training people to walk with crutches
- Bell’s palsy and stroke rehabilitation Back to top^
Maternity Services (including Reproductive Health/Family planning)
The average number of clients seen per month by BHM Maternity Department has geometrically increased from 24 in 1999 (when the department was created) to 320 in 2009. The 16 staff of the department (9 professional midwives and 7 auxiliaries) offer clients the following services:
Mondays: Registration of new clients (clients are occasionally registered on other week days)
Wednesdays: High risk clinics (for women whose obstetrics history involves some risk factors like previous cases of caesarean section, still birth, or women who are less than 1.5m tall).
Thursdays: Routine revisits
- Infant welfare clinics: Every Tuesday: Child vaccination
- Family planning services (all methods are available)
- Incubation services for premature deliveries (BHM is the main referral hospital in all of Fako Division of the SW Region and part of Mungo Division of the Littoral Region for this service. It has two imported and two home-made incubators for babies born prematurely. Most clients are cases referred from the Limbe Provincial Hospital.)
- Child delivery
- Breast milk bank
- Cervical Cancer screening Back to top^
The Tuberculosis (TB) department of Baptist Hospital Mutengene is a Cameroon government approved site for the treatment of the disease since November 2007. The average number of patients seen per month stands at 25. The clinic receives clients every working day of the week. Unfortunately, clients are treated only on an out-patient basis due to lack of hospitalisation space to admit critical TB cases for fear of contaminating other patients. Hence such cases are referred to other health facilities with such services. Services offered at the BHM TB Clinic are as follows:
- Free treatment
- Free counselling
- HIV test to all patients
- Occasional follow-up of patients in their homes. Back to top^
Baptist Hospital Mutengene also runs a diabetes clinic to take care of clients living with this health condition. The Diabetes Mellitus (DM) clinic was created in 2006. It holds once a month (every last Saturday of the month) commencing sometimes as early as 06h00 Cameroon time as preferred by most clients. The hospital records about 5 new cases of diabetes every month and sees some 100 others a month for refill and check-up. During the clinic, clients receive the following services:
- Consultation and checking of blood pressure (BP) and weight
- Health education
- Follow-up (intervals for follow-up are one week, two weeks, etc. depending on the client’s blood sugar level as measured during each clinic).
- Group and personal exchange of opinion to help dispel myths and misconceptions about Diabetes
- Referral of some cases to the doctor
- Registration and collection of data
- Admission of advanced cases (though this is rare)
- Etc. Back to top^
This is a type of cancer common in the Tropics among children aged 5 to 15. One major early sign is painless swellings on the face, which are often mistaken for toothache. Because of this, Burkitt’s Lymphomia can only be confirmed by a Pathologist. The programme started at BHM in 2005 under the Malawi Protocol. But in September 2008, the Cameroon Protocol was implemented. The programme offers free treatment at BHM to children with this health condition. Since September 2008, 32 cases have been seen and handled. Burkitt’s Lymphomia Cameroon is funded by two international volunteers (Prof. Peter Hesseling from the Republic of South Africa and Dr. Peter McCommick from the United Kingdom) and coordinated at BHM by Dr. Eduard Katayi. Back to top^
BHM Chaplaincy and Social Services Department takes care of the spiritual and psychosocial needs of both clients and staff of the hospital. The four qualified chaplains of the department receive on average 184 clients every month with diverse anxieties that need counselling or spiritual care. Their services include among others:
- Overseeing the general spiritual activities of the hospital
- Premarital assessment and counselling
- Psychosocial and psycho-spiritual counselling
- T.E.E. and evangelistic outreach programmes
- Assisting some needy people when the means are available
- Other pastoral care services Back to top^
Unlike other CBCHB institutions, Baptist Hospital Mutengene does not run a canteen. But to ensure that its clients and staff on duty have quality food, the hospital has set up a mini-market that provides a variety of foods. It is supervised by a Quality Improvement Committee (QIC) and the hospital’s administration. Non-working spouses of the hospital’s staff, who apply to provide food at the mini-market, undergo critical medical and physical examinations at their own expense. The QIC draws up a roster for those selected according to the types of food they are to provide and regularly checks to ensure that the quality and quantity of the food sold to clients are as required. Children under age 14 are not permitted to sell in the mini-market. Defaulters of the rules governing the functioning of the mini-market are sanctioned accordingly. Back to top^
The security department of Baptist Hospital Mutengene is the most challenging in the CBCHB due to the numerous difficulties it faces with the unruly behaviour of the town’s inhabitants. The 14 dynamic security guards here have learnt how to contain mobs each time accident or some fight victims are rushed to the hospital. Their duties include:
- Reception of clients
- Ensuring the security of clients and staff and their belongings within the hospital premises.
- Ensuring the security of the hospital’s premises and property at all times.
- Running of errands for the hospital Back to top^
To ensure that the hospital functions smoothly, the Maintenance Department of the hospital carries out housekeeping, laundry and technical services. The housekeeping staff ensure cleanliness on both the inside and outside of the hospital. The laundry staff, on its part, is responsible for washing all the hospital’s linen, drying them and pressing them in preparation for use on and by patients. The department also has technicians with diverse skills, who are responsible for the designing and execution of projects as required by the hospital. They equally carry out general maintenance on the hospital’s equipment and structures. This group comprises plumbers, electricians, motor mechanics/drivers, builders, carpenters, etc.
Other functions vital functions in the hospital meant to complement those aimed at ensuring proper care of clients include the services of secretaries, registration (finance) clerks, etc. Back to top^
Baptist Hospital Mutengene has two three major projects:
- Building of gutters to check run-off that flows onto the veranda when it rains. This is a short term project due to the urgent need that this poses. Everything being equal, work on the selected gutters is expected completed by July 2009.
- Replacement of dilapidated wood works (doors, furniture, etc.). Is an ongoing project.
Completion of a permanent security fence around the entire BHM premises including the unused part of its land to stop intruders from penetrating the compound. This is a giant project that will take very long to complete. It is being done piece meal as money trickles in. Back to top^
Baptist Hospital Mutengene
PO Box 152, Tiko
Fako Division
South West Region
Tel: Security Office: +237 7765 8947
Main Office: +237 7760 5430
Administrator: +237 7786 6284
Email: bhm@cbchealthservices.org
