Mbingo Baptist Hospital, Bamenda, Cameroon

 

^{Mbingo Baptist Hospital - photo courtesy of Doug Chaffee (www.pbase.com/DougC43)} 

 

Current Mbingo Hospital Residents and Faculty

 

Mission: Cameroonian Baptist Convention

Profile: Mbingo Baptist Hospital is in the rural northwest region of Cameroon at a mountain pass. Most of the year there are waterfalls along the south rock walls of the valley. There are two full growing seasons here, so starvation and malnutrition is very rare. We receive patients from hundreds of kilometers around. It was started and is run by the Cameroonian Baptist Convention. We have 270 beds and they are allocated as follows: Male medical (30), TB isolation (6), pediatrics (20 + 6 isolation), surgical (70), maternity (12), Hanson’s disease (30), ulcer ward (30), orthopedics (30), Adult private rooms (6) and Female adult (30). We have plans for and pray to start construction of a 12 bed ICU and 6 bed Neonatal ICU by 2007.

 

We do over 1,500 major operations and 830 minor operations per year. Malaria and other tropical diseases make up a small portion of our admits. Pregnancy complications, gynecology, cancers of all types, pediatric tumors, soft tissue infections and abscesses are also common. Traumatic fractures and soft tissue injuries presented regularly. In addition to medical care, the hospital also offers a three-year training course for nurses, a four surgery-training program (PAACS) and a 3-year nurse anesthetist-training program.

 

Time Difference: +5 hours Daylight Savings Time (EST), USA; +6 hours Eastern Standard Time, USA

 

Travel: Fly by commercial airline to Douala or Yaoundé; a driver will then take you 7 hours north past Bamenda (40 kilometers) to the hospital.

 

Location: Mbingo Baptist Hospital is in a rural region of the Northwest Province north of Bamenda. It is 380 kilometers north of Douala on a paved road.

 

Language: Pigeon English is the primary language of the hospital, although there are numerous local Cameroonian languages also spoken.

 

Climate: Except for the winter warmer months (a dry season from October to March), temperatures run from 65 to 80 degrees F, humidity ranges from 40% to 80%, and it rains most often in the afternoon.

Housing: Accommodations are in a guesthouse with kitchen facilities for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also a Hostel with all meals provided. 

 

• Program Director: Dr. Steve Sparks
• Location: Near Bamenda, Cameroon
• Hospital Agency: Cameroon Baptist Convention
• Beds: 270 beds (125 surgical)
• ORs: 5 Major, 1 minor
• Number of Major Cases in 2005 – 2006: 2,207
• Began Training Residents: 2006
• Number of PAACS Residents September 2007: Five 

 

 

 

^{View of airstrip and valley - photo courtesy of Doug Chaffee (www.pbase.com/DougC43)}

 

View of Mbingo Baptist Hospital and valley