State suspends grants to two medical schools

Medical students of Institut supérieur des Sciences de la santé de Bangangté (West-Cameroon) and those of Institut supérieur des Technologies médicales de Nkolondom in Yaounde, no longer have right to the grant of the State as part of their training, noted the Minister of higher education, Jacques Fame Ndongo.

This measure took effect since the beginning of the academic year 2013-2014.

"As the latin saying,"dura lex, sed lex", (the law is drastic but it is the law)", he said in an interview with the Government daily Tuesday, November 18.

Training costs fluctuate around 1,200,000 F CFA per student in these institutes. Before the reform of medical education in 2013, each student paid just 50,000 F CFA, as in faculties of medicine by public universities, the rest being borne by the State. What is almost impossible today, explained the Minesup.

"The Ministry of finance which could be sought in this case is already the subject of multiple stresses (external public debt, domestic public debt, statutory grants public administrative establishments, salaries of civil servants and workers in the State, etc.) This is the objective situation of this folder. It was largely brought to the attention of parents and students last year and on the occasion of the national competition 2014-2015, so that everyone knows", he continued.

During the competition, still according to Minesup, the candidates had the opportunity to choose between two modules: a public and a private module. The difference being the amount of academic rights.

"Those who opt for the public were required to make a second choice related to the two private State medical training institutions. The current situation was therefore known by all candidates and, of course, by all the applicants. But we understand the distress of students who may lose an academic year, because of their impecuniosity while they have been admitted to the same national competition, with the same jury," admitted Jacques Fame Ndongo.

However, "each student must fulfill its academic fees established by the proponent of the private Institute", suggested the Minister dealing with this problem.

As a reminder, the first session of the national commission of medical, pharmaceutical and odontostomatology training of Cameroon was held July 30, 2013.

At the end of the work, six institutions (four public and two private) had been empowered to deliver lessons in this area for the academic year 2013-2014: the Faculty of medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Yaoundé I.

The Faculty of health science at the University of Buea; the Faculty of medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, in the University of Douala; The Faculty of health Sciences in Bamenda; the Institut supérieur de Bangangté health sciences; the higher Institute of medical technology in Nkolondom in Yaounde.