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This year, CBCHS further expanded their Non-Communicable (NCD) Prevention and Control Program, equipping nurses with the skills to provide quality care for people living with obesity, and providing screening services for thousands of people across Cameroon. In recognition of their momentous work to address NCDs, they received a UN Task Force Award.

The Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) is a non-profit, faith-based, and inclusive humanitarian healthcare organisation established in 1949 that offers holistic care to all, regardless of their background. CBCHS is the second-largest healthcare provider in Cameroon after the government, with facilities and public health programs serving millions, particularly in underserved communities in hard-to-reach parts of Cameroon. The CBCHS provides a wide range of healthcare services across Cameroon including hospital care, primary healthcare services, HIV/AIDs care, maternal and child care as well as services for persons with disabilities.

In 2016, the CBC Health Services established an NCD Prevention and Control Program to address the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Cameroon.

The Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Program (NCD-PCP)

The NCD Prevention and Control Program of the CBC Health Services was established in the year 2016 following a situational analysis carried-out in 2014 that revealed that over 60% of patients and caregivers visiting CBC health facilities suffered from an NCD, some of whom were not even aware of their health status prior to the screening.

Mission: The NCD-PCP seeks to prevent avoidable disabilities and deaths resulting from NCDs through continuous awareness raising, screening, diagnosis and clinical management of NCDs in the communities and in CBC network of health facilities
Objective: The program has as objective to promote health seeking behaviours, encourage adherence to treatment and overall improvement in quality of life for persons living with NCDs

The NCD Prevention and Control Program operates via two major approaches:

1. Know Your Numbers (KYN) Approach 
This is a community and facility-based intervention strategy aimed at promoting awareness of NCDs and their risk factors with the main objective of encouraging health seeking behaviours amongst apparently healthy members of various communities considering that NCDs have no visible signs and symptoms and may only be diagnosed when complications have set in.

2. Diabetes, Hypertension and Obesity (D,H&O) Unit Approach
This is a clinical management approach aimed at ensuring that all persons diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and obesity are enrolled and followed up on treatment. The main objective here being to improve the quality of life of these patients through regular medical checks, one-on-one lifestyle modification counseling, regular exercises, support group activities, peer-peer encouragements and monthly drug refills. These units are run by well-trained diabetes, hypertension and obesity (recently introduced) educators who attend to these patients on a daily basis.

The NCD program activities are currently implemented in 19 health facilities within the CBC health services, located in 7 out of the country’s 10 regions.

Pictured: NCD Program Nurses and Facilitators who Participated in the Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity Management and Know Your Numbers Training

Highlights of 2025

According to Dr Samuel Ngum, Director of the CBCHS, the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services adopted a comprehensive approach through the “Know Your Numbers” (KYN) strategy after acknowledging obesity as both a disease and risk factor to other non-communicable diseases. The program screens apparently healthy individuals for BMI, blood sugar, blood pressure, waist circumference while assessing lifestyle risks.

The global recognition of CBCHS’s innovative work in NCD prevention and obesity management has given the organisation new momentum to expand its impact across Cameroon. According to Ngum Samuel, CBCHS plans to leverage on this recognition to intensify nationwide awareness and screening efforts in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health. The organization plans to expand its Know Your Numbers service and obesity management services beyond its existing network, reaching underserved and rural communities with early detection and counselling services. It should be recalled that the “Know Your Numbers” (KYN) strategy is user friendly and highly applicable in resource limited communities to benefit the world.

Facilitative supervision

During the second quarter of 2025, the NCD program central team, composed of the program manager, program officer, communication officer, M&E officer, and sports coordinator, successfully conducted a facilitative supervision visit to all 19 NCD program health facilities to:

• Assess the newly established obesity clinics, identify and handle challenges related to this
• Assess quality of care provided to KYN clients, diabetes, hypertension and obesity patients
• Do onsite data quality assessment
• Do onsite capacity building for sites that didn’t attend the training and a fresher for new sites with difficulties adapting to the new service provided 
• Hold site coordination meetings to identify challenges in service delivery and provide solutions.
• Assess level of uptake of physical exercise at facility level and appoint physical exercise focal persons to coordinate sports on clinic and other days considering the importance of physical exercise in diabetes, hypertension and obesity management
• Gather and write success stories for publication on the program website

This exercise was very successful and provided an avenue for learning and exchange of knowledge and skills between the supervisory team and the program staff operating at health facility level.

Awareness Raising and Screening for NCDs

During the year 2025, the NCD program sensitized over 112,202 people on NCDs, screened 8,836 and referred 1,892, 840, 3,195, 3,321 for elevated blood pressure, blood sugar, waist circumference and abnormal BMI respectively. Cumulatively, for the year 2025, 665, 1002, 2423 persons were newly diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and obesity respectively.

Clinical Management (Diabetes, Hypertension and Obesity Clinic Activities)

Throughout the year 2025, the NCD PCP conducted routine monthly diabetes, hypertension and obesity clinics in all 19 of the CBCHS facilities implementing NCD prevention activities. Cumulatively, 7,342 diabetes, 8,934 hypertension and 822 obesity patients have been enrolled are followed up at the D,H&O units of the 19 health facilities. 

Challenges of 2025

• Limited funding to implement planned activities and carry out service expansion.

• Shortage of staff at some of the NCD program sites has greatly affected (increased patient waiting time and slowed down implementation of program activities).

• Limited adapted equipment to provide quality care to the beneficiaries.

Planned Activities for 2026

For the year 2026, the program plans to:

• Conduct two capacity building sessions, one for teachers and students to reinforce NCD prevention and Control activities in schools and another for nutrition counselors and screeners from NCD program health facilities to harmonise the quality of care and counseling offered to the beneficiaries.

• Carry out one facilitative supervision visit to all program sites to assess quality of care and address challenges identified.

• Intensify NCD prevention and control activities in secondary schools.

• Scale-up program activities to additional health facilities within and out of the CBC network of health facilities to ensure that more persons within the national territory benefit from the services provided by the program.