Limbe Provincial Hospital

Infobox Hospital
Name = Limbe Provincial Hospital
Org/Group =


Caption = Limbe Provincial Hospital
Location = Limbe
Region = Southwest Province
State =
Country = Cameroon
Coordinates = coord|4|01|N|9|13|E|region:CM_type:city|display=title,inline
Type = Referral
Emergency = Yes
Beds = 200
Founded = ca. 1940|

Limbe Provincial Hospital (also Limbé Provincial Hospital and Mile 1 Hospital) is a 200 bed hospital in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and is the principal referral hospital for the region.

History

The hospital was built ca. 1940 and was accorded the status of a provincial hospital in 1972. The hospital's charter was to:
# Offer the best quality of care to patients.
# Offer pedagogic support to training institutions of health personnel in the country.
# Carry out operational research within the context of improving patient welfare.
# Co-operate and collaborate with other health institutions.“Situation Analysis: Provincial Hospital Limbe.” Document prepared by Dr. Thompson Kinge and a technical team on behalf of the Ministry of Public Health, Cameroon. July 2006. ]

In the late 1990s and early 21st century, the hospital was suffering from major structural and organizational problems. By 2004, the attendance rate had dropped by 50%. ["L’Hopital provincial de Limbe.” By AimÈ Potabo. "Effets du Septennat: Bimensuel Panafricain d’investigations – reportages – analyses". October 2007, p. 8.] Moreover, research revealed that there was a lack of knowledge among hospital staff. [“The effects of nursing training on the control of nosocomial infections: Studies from the Limbe Provincial Hospital, Limbe, Cameroon.” By M. Atanga, R. Mbake, and T. McMoli. Paper presented at the International Conference on Overcoming Health Disparities: Global Experiences of Partnerships Between Communities, Health Services and Health Professional Schools. 6-10 October, 2004. Atlanta, USA ] However, under the new directorship of Dr. Thompson Kinge (appointed 2005) the hospital has seen some major improvements. In July 2008, Nigerian Consul to the North West and South West provinces of Cameroon, Dr. Kenneth Nsor Nsor, awarded Kinge with an award for “recognition of outstanding meritorious services and good management.” [“Nigerian Consul for Partnership with Limbe Hospital.” By Innocent Timbong. "Eden" 14-16 July, 2008, p. 9. ] Nsor praised Dr. Kinge for rehabilitating the hospital, and for providing quality care to the large Nigerian community in Limbe. Cameroonian journalist AimÈ Potabo also credits Kinge for resuscitating the hospital, and praises the improvements of the last few years. [“L’Hopital provincial de Limbe.” By AimÈ Potabo. "Effets du Septennat: Bimensuel Panafricain d’investigations – reportages – analyses". October 2007, p. 8.]

The hospital has received support from Cameroonians both within the country [Francis Tim Mbom, "Limbe Rotary Club Donates Hospital, Educational Equipment."The Post", 31 January, 2006. ] and abroad [Francis Tim Mbom, "Out on a Limbe." Seattle-Limbe Sister City Association. ] . Moreover, the Programme Germano-Camerounais de SantÈ has initiated training workshops in Cameroon, at least one of which (a workshop on sterilization) has been attended by technical staff from Limbe Provincial Hospital. [“Courses on Sterilisation of Medical Supplies, Cameroon.” Document prepared for the Programme Germano-Camerounais de SantÈ by Jan Huijs, 2008. ]

Like hospitals in many parts of the Third World, Limbe Provincial Hospital still suffers from several problems including lack of certain hospital supplies and equipment such as ECG machines and incubators. The hospital administration is working hard to raise money in order to solve these problems, which negatively effect the population of the Southwest Province.

Services

The hospital offers units for radiology, surgery, gynaecology and obstetrics, dental surgery, ophthalmology, pediatrics, maternity and general medicine. ["L’Hopital provincial de Limbe.” By AimÈ Potabo. "Effets du Septennat: Bimensuel Panafricain d’investigations – reportages – analyses". October 2007, p. 8.]

Research programme

Before 2000, practically no research had been done at Limbe Provincial Hospital. In the last few years, however, several research studies have been based at the hospital. A few examples are:

* Members of the Health Sciences Department at the University of Buéa conducted research on the effects of nursing training on the control of nosocomial infections. A paper based on this research was presented at the "International Conference on Overcoming Health Disparities" in 2004. [“The effects of nursing training on the control of nosocomial infections: Studies from the Limbe Provincial Hospital, Limbe, Cameroon.” By M. Atanga, R. Mbake, and T. McMoli. Paper presented at the International Conference on Overcoming Health Disparities: Global Experiences of Partnerships Between Communities, Health Services and Health Professional Schools. 6-10 October, 2004. Atlanta, USA]

* An international team of researchers in Cameroon and the United States of America did a study on adherence to antiretroviral therapy. The research was carried out at the hospital’s ART clinic. [“Survival and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in an era of decreasing drug cost in Limbe, Cameroon.” By Jembia J. Mosoko, Wilfred Akam, Paul J. Weidle, John T. Brooks, Asabi J. Aweh, Mathias Ebad, Thompson N. Kinge, Charles Vitek, Pratima L. Raghunathan. Paper presented at CROI: 14th Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infenctions. Los Angeles, California, 25-28 February, 2007. ]

* An opthalmologist at Limbe Provincial Hospital has done research on treatment of blindness. This research was published in the "British Journal of Ophthalmology". ["Prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment in Limbe urban area, South West Province, Cameroon." By Joseph Enyegue Oye and Hannah Kuper. "British Journal of Ophthalmology" 91(11):1435-1439, November 2007.]

* In August and September 2008, Gavin Steingo, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, carried out research on the acquisition and use of medical instruments at Limbe Provincial Hospital, on a grant from Merck Pharmaceuticals.

Location

Limbe Provincial Hospital is located in the coastal town of Limbe, in the Southwest Province of Cameroon. The Southwest Province is one of only two Anglophone provinces in Cameroon; the other seven provinces are Francophone. Although there is no university in Limbe, there is a university in the nearby town of Buea (about 30 minutes drive). The University of Buea, which was founded in 1997, has a strong Health Sciences Department.

Limbe Provincial Hospital is referred to by locals as "Mile 1 Hospital" since it is exactly one mile away from the Atlantic Ocean. Heading out from the hospital down the hill and towards the ocean, one will soon reach "Half Mile", the town center of Limbe. Continuing straight ahead, one will reach an area called "Down Beach", which is right by the ocean. Moving away from the ocean from the hospital, one passes other parts of Limbe ("Mile 2, Mile 3, Mile 4," etc.) and eventually leaves the town. A few miles later, one reaches the town of Mutengene. Continuing straight at Mutengene, one will arrive in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, in about one hour. Turning left at Mutengene, one will soon come to Mile 17 (17 miles from the Ocean) in the town of Buea. Continuing on the road through Buea one will reach Nigeria.

References