During series of seminars organized from November 13 to 15, RuWCED equipped medical doctors, nurses, peer educators, journalists, school counsellors and religious youth leaders

with knowledge on abortion including the national and international laws regulating abortion, the consequences of unsafe abortion and the right approach on post abortion care. With more than 80 participants, these sessions took place at the MINEPAT conference hall, Up Station Bamenda.

   
Samuel Leboh, RuWCED staff, says the seminar was organised based on the high occurrence of unsafe abortion and related consequences including ignorance about the law regulating abortion.

   
Participants were made to understand the different methods of contraception and the implications. Speaking to participants at the workshop on unsafe abortion, a Reproductive Health Expert, Alota Grace said unsafe abortion can pose dangers like bleeding, anemia, sepsis, infertility or death. She laid emphasis on Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) and family planning, as a way to help prevent unwanted pregnancies, which influences women and girls to abort at all cost, safely or unsafely. All participants that turned out at the workshop appreciated the training.

The training which started with just medical doctors from different district hospitals in Ngoketunjia Division, gathered at RuWCED office, to share their experiences on Post-Abortion Care (PAC), their challenges, and acquire new information on how they can provide better care to their patients. They were also schooled on family planning, post-abortion complications and management. With some demonstrations, facilitators ensured that trainees learn and practice appropriately. Health personnel were cautioned to minimize/prevent infections.

   
On the second day of training, November 14, close to forty (40) nurses from the North West Region were trained on Post- Abortion Care clinical skills. Participants were schooled during the seminar by facilitators on abortion laws in Cameroon, some essentials of PAC, Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVAs), some values/attitudes etc, with intensive practicals. They had the opportunity to interact with each other, pose numerous questions and share challenges. They also shared some suggestions on how their situations can be improved. As a result of the ongoing crisis in the North West Region, access to health facilities in some villages have been hampered. With the population; mostly women and children, suffering or not able to get help on time.

Informed that many persons suffering from after abortion problems are reproached than helped, health workers at the workshop were told to be non-judgemental when handling cases on post abortion complications but to be humane in administering health care and more over to stick to ethics of the profession.

All participants that turned out at the workshop appreciated the training. "This is what we need to have. It is not different from what we learned in school but we need to refresh and update ourselves so I'm so grateful for RuWCED" noted Ndah Miriah, a midwife and nurse at the Babungo Integrated Health Center.

In an interview with some participants, they affirmed that the knowledge acquired will help them in their respective tasks when they return to various facilities. In the past, RuWCED had organized several training workshops to drill participants on PAC complications and management. Some positive changes were recorded. Despite that, we must ensure that the number of unsafe abortions reduces in our communities or ends.

Stakeholders Meeting

A stakeholders meeting was held shortly after the training (November 15, 2019) in the presence of some authorities. MINEPAT Regional Delegate, encouraged RuWCED to partner with her ministry to help advance their work. “They cannot plan without knowing how the population is. A healthy population is a healthy nation, and a healthy manpower for our society. With that, we can know what potentials we actually have. The doors of MINEPAT are open to sponsor initiatives to develop our community or our nation”

   
The District Medical Officer, Bamenda Health District, appreciated the initiative and encouraged RuWCED to link up with other organisations who are already on the field. “At the level of the district we are going to continue with the collaboration. During our district coordination meetings, we’ll contact you to attend and build the capacities of our staff who were not opportune to attend these workshops…” As far as the absence of health facilities in some remote areas are concerned, he said that the process is ongoing to meet the needs of the people. He called on all participants present, with different domains of expertise to carry on with the right information and continue with sensitizations.

   
The Representative of the Regional Delegate of Secondary Education, Dr Tata Edwin, who is in-charge of health, promised to facilitate RuWCED's access to more schools in the region, to promote Sexual and Reproductive Health talks.

By News Info Trends Blogspot & RuWCED