The role of faith-based health professions schools in Cameroon’s health system

Abstract

Faith-based health professions schools contribute to the training of staff in many Sub-Saharan African countries. Yet little is known about these actors, their role in the health system, potential comparative advantages and challenges faced. This is a qualitative study drawing on 24 qualitative interviews and 3 focus group discussions. Participants included faith-based health professions schools, staff at faith-based health professions schools, Ministry of Health officials and donors. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings reveal that understanding of faith-based health professions schools held by donors and the Ministry of Health rest on a set of assumptions rather than evidence-backed knowledge and that knowledge on key aspects is missing (not least on the market share of such actors). This suggests that collaboration with and oversight of these non-state schools is limited, raising questions about the balance of state regulation and control in the public-private mix for training health workers. Linked to this weak oversight, the findings also raise concerns over a number of problematic activities at these schools, unaccredited training programmes and the presence of missionary volunteers whose presence and actions are rarely interrogated.

Challenges and opportunities for spiritual care practice in hospices in a middle-income country

“…In Africa, however, though spiritual care has been deemed important in the Global South [17][18][19][20], despite the spiritual diversity on the continent and the limitations on amassing meaningful national health care data [21], studies and protocols for the development of palliative care have tended not to focus on spiritual care, but rather on issues such as pain management protocols, for which there are clear indicators [22][23][24][25].…”