One year after training nurses in the Ngoketunjia Division of the North West Region of Cameroon on Post Abortion Care (PAC), RuWCED returned for a refresher training.The seminar, which was facilitated by Barister Fonsoh Germaine and Ndah Grace, a Reproductive Health Expert, was attended by 21 Nurses representing the different health units found in the 13 villages of the Division.
During her presentation, Barister Fonsoh dwelled on Abortion Laws in Cameroon, while analyzing and bringing out gaps. According to her, abortion is defined by law as the termination of a pregnancy before it is termed or due. She went further to explain that, under the Labour Code, we have Legal abortion which the government permits when the life of the ‘mother’ is in danger and when the pregnancy is as a result of rape. She emphasized that the legal abortion must be done by a qualified medical practitioner in a recognized medical institution with documents proofing that the pregnancy is supposed to be aborted.
The next facilitator, Ndah Grace presented on value, attitude, preparation and client based assessment/right based approach to SRH service provision, contraception and consequences of unsafe abortion. Given that it was a refresher training, the participants shared their experiences since the last training and most of them testified how helpful the Manual Vacuum Aspirator (MVA) which was distributed to them to facilitate post abortion care have been. By the end of the program, the participants appreciated RuWCED for the initiative.
The Chief of Health Center at Babungo, Nsen Felicitas Che appreciated the initiative, “I’ve benefitted from this training by RuWCED, especially this refresher course. Most often, when we go for these trainings and return, we forget several things. This refresher course is like a reminder of what we were doing and we were not doing correctly just to perfect ourselves. So today, I’ve really learned a lot especially with the value and attitudes of nurses towards cases of PAC. I want to thank RuWCED for all the efforts they are making and we pray that God should inspire them to keep up so that we help our women and young girls.”
Nde Claudia from Hope Solidarity Health Center in Bangolan, expressed satisfaction; “The training today has really been a good one. Such courses are always good, especially when we come and learn something and there is a refresher course for it. It reminds you of the things that you had learned which is very good because things that you learn, you might forget some. So when you come for a training like this one, you really learn much. I want to thank RuWCED very much for this, if we had about four (4) groups doing such trainings, I think that when we go back to our places, we will be up to date.”
It was a revelation for Ntef Robert from Bangolan Baptist Health Center and he encouraged RuWCED to keep up. “The training has been very good, particularly what the law says about abortion. It has been a very good lecture because at first, we did not really know what the law said about abortion but now we know. There are certain things that we use to do that we did not even know the implications, certain things that we say that we do not even know the implication, so we have learned a lot. I think that RuWCED should organize more seminars like this so that people can learn. We’ve also learned about MVA that we are being charged to go and do. It is a very good initiative by RuWCED. I am very happy.”