TRAINING AND AIDS CONTROL

TRAINING

CDC carries out continuous training of its personnel in every aspect as a means of improving the capacity of its personnel to meet up with job expectations for maximum productivity. Training is done both in-house and external depending on the need and the means.

 

Accountants in Training Seminar

The training department operates under the Human Resources Department and is managed by the Manager Training Management Service (MTMS). The Service is situated at the CDC Engineering yard in Bota where the main training center is set up.

Workshop on Pest an Disease Control

Training of personnel is carried out according to an annual structured programme or when a need arises for urgent update of personnel. These exercises are carried out either by seminars, workshops or practical field training.

Field Practical Training on Tapping Techniques

AIDS CONTROL

CDC AIDS Control Program started in 1998 primarily as a prevention program with mass sensitization of workers, increasing awareness from 30% to 98% in two years. This feat was achieved by outreach in CDC Estates by all CDC doctors and senior medical personnel. We reinforced our activity by sending 50 medical students from the University of Yaounde to the interior and central estates for one month. We also sponsored a three-month sensitization program on Radio Buea

Peer Educators in Mungo Palms Estate

Over the years we have distributed over 20,000 condoms and have succeeded in bringing up condom usage in the CDC environment from 30% to over 50%. The strategy used to increase condom use was to create condom distribution points in all estates' clubs and clinics, as well as free condom distribution during sensitization sessions in the estates.
This program would not have achieved its objective if key personnel were not trained. The chairman was trained in Applied Epidemiology at the CDC in Atlanta and three doctors have been trained for use of Anti-RetroVirals. We have 8 national trained counsellors and over 30 locally trained counselors in our health care service. Our laboratory has trained personnel, and they are capable of doing all of the tests required for HIV monitoring except CD4/CD8 count and viral load.
CDC plans to launch a solidarity fund to compliment our ARV treatment program. We hope that we can generate enough funds to acquire a flow cytometer for CD4 and Easy Q for viral load. This we think will assist us as most of our patients have free medical services, and it will mean patients will not have to go and pay for the service elsewhere.
With our interest in finding a cure for AIDS, CDC has signed a partnership with Johns Hopkins University, which will involve a cohort study in preparation for a phase one HIV Vaccine trial.
The number of HIV patients that will benefit from our treatment center will be over 4000 and given the fact that we cater to other companies, the number could be about 5000 per year. If 10% will require ARV treatment, then we need to prepare for about 500 patients.So far we have a therapeutic and ethical committee in place.We also have 17 patients on antiretovirals from other treatment centers.There are also many who are taking treatment without our knowledge because the services are not yet fully in place.