Medical Professionals Welcome Government Decision

Various orders in the medical corps have hailed decisions by the ministers in charge of Higher Education and Public Health to revamp the medical training sector in the country. The announcement was made during a press briefing in Yaounde on Tuesday June 4, 2013. The event brought together professionals and members from various medical corps such as dentists, medical doctors, pharmacists and veterinarians.

Speaking at the occasion, the President of the Cameroon Medical Council, Dr. Guy Sandjon said the decision by government is the end of three years of complaints sent to government on the quality of training in some private institutions. Dr. Sandjon said the major worry centres on degradation in the profession's training standards caused by the proliferation of private institutions for the training of medical practitioners. He said henceforth institutions which do not respect established norms will be closed down. He also said they have nothing against private institutions but urged the latter to respect training norms for the good of Cameroonians.

Some faculties in some State universities which are not up to standards will equally be closed down. Dr Sandjon said for order to return to the sector, candidates will have to sit for the same entrance examination before enrolling in both State and private institutions.

Concerning the fate of students from private institutions which will be closed down, Dr. Sandjon disclosed that stranded students will be admitted into State universities after an evaluation. The decision comes on the heels of a study carried out by the medical corps on faculties and private institutions involved in medical training in Cameroon. According to the report, 6,000 students are registered in theses structure. However, only two private higher institutions out of six in the country respect the minimum norms.