This is a historic first. From August 24 to 28 in Ebolowa, Cameroon is training its very first Emergency Medical Team (EMT), a multidisciplinary unit of 80 experts ready to intervene in case of epidemics and disasters.
Cameroon is making a leap forward in its health security. In Ebolowa, in the South region, 80 professionals have been undergoing intensive training for the very first national EMT since August 24.
Doctors, paramedics, but also logisticians, communication experts, security, support, mental health, reproductive health, and nutrition specialists: the team brings together 26 profiles divided into two groups. A deliberate composition: an epidemic is not fought only in a white coat.
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For five days, 7 modules are delivered: public health emergency management, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), health promotion and community engagement (CREC), not to mention practical workshops on donning/doffing PPE and field exercises to learn to operate as a single team.
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The challenge is political: not to replace the existing system but to strengthen it. The EMT is an additional operational capacity, quickly deployable without disrupting hospitals.
The project, inspired by Senegalese and Chadian models, benefits from the technical support of WHO and financial support from ECHO / European Commission. Cameroon is preparing to better protect.
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