The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) Cameroon office has relocated to the nation’s capital, Yaounde. Previously, many of the 23 staff were based in Mutengene, a six-hour drive from the new location.
In addition to improve internal collaboration, having all staff in this centralized office allows for heightened engagement with the U.S. Embassy and increased participation in interagency activities, and more importantly provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health in Cameroon.
With a platform that is largely under the Division of Global HIV/AIDS, CDC Cameroon also supports the Field Epidemiology and laboratory training program (FELTP) and outbreak response as needed. The CDC staff are better positioned to support implementing partners and the MoPH.
“The goal of relocating the CDC Office was to allow the staff to work closely and efficiently with the Ministry of Health and other technical health partners who are mostly based in the Capital to build local capacity towards a sustainable health program,” said Country Director Dr. Omotayo Bolu.
In the true spirit of capacity building, CDC Cameroon is now in the process of transitioning its Mutengene laboratory to the MoPH and will continue to provide significant oversight and technical assistance.
In fact, staff are actively collaborating with the DGHA International Laboratory Branch to help the MoH successfully navigate the WHO-AFRO Stepwise Laboratory Improvement Process Towards Accreditation.
CDC Cameroon will also play an important role in developing the country’s first national public health laboratory in Yaounde, which is expected to be fully functional in 2015.
Additional points and reason for relocation:
1. The relocation of CDC from Mutengene to Yaounde has been a long process (over 3 years).
2. The goal of relocating the CDC Office to Yaounde is to allow the CDC staff work closely and efficiently with the Ministry of Health and other technical health partners with the aim of building local capacity towards a sustainable health program.
3. With over 20 local Cameroonians working at the CDC since 2002 on various health issues including HIV, maternal health and lab strengthening programs, this serves as a demonstration of the USG’s commitment to improving the health of Cameroonians.
4. CDC/ USG will continue to provide technical assistance, as well as clinical and financial support to the regions supported by PEPFAR and the work CDC does nationwide.
5. CDC will continue to provide oversight to the laboratory in Mutengene, which will now be run under a MOU with the Ministry of Health/ Regional Health Team. This approach will allow country ownership and Cameroonians to take the lead in running their own lab.
6. The presence of CDC in Yaoundé will help the team be more efficient in the realization of building a National public health lab, which we hope will be ready by 2014 / early 2015 and scaling up HIV programs including prevention of mother to child transmission, in the Center and Littoral regions.
