On April 12, 2022, Ambassador Christopher J. Lamora visited Laquintinie Hospital in Douala, accompanied by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Country Director Dr. Emily Kainne Dokubo. In partnership with Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health, CDC provides care and treatment services through implementing partners in 308 facilities across all 10 regions of the country. Through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC has supported clinical and laboratory services at Laquintinie Hospital since 2009.  Over the past three years, CDC has invested over $975,000 (588 million FCFA) to strengthen the hospital’s HIV prevention, care, and treatment services for all people living with HIV, including children, adolescents, adults, and key and vulnerable populations.

Laquintinie Hospital recently celebrated its 90th anniversary and now serves as the reference hospital in Littoral Region.  Under the leadership of Professor Noel Essomba, the hospital has approximately 910 beds managed by over 1300 staff, including 46 General Physicians and 113 Specialists, and receives more than 80,000 patients for consultations per year.  Established in 1988, the HIV Treatment Center serves as a model for decentralization of antiretroviral treatment in Cameroon.  Approximately, 5,400 people living with HIV receive treatment through CDC/PEPFAR support.  Also, through PEPFAR, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports a continuum of care for key and priority populations and orphans and vulnerable children, and funds procurement and delivery of antiretroviral drugs and HIV laboratory reagents and supplies.  Additionally, USAID supports community-led monitoring to ensure the hospital’s compliance with the government policy to eliminate HIV user fees at service delivery points.

Renovated through U.S. government support, Laquintinie Hospital laboratory serves as a reference laboratory for cholera, HIV Early Infant Diagnosis, HIV viral load, and COVID-19 testing.  CDC also provides technical and financial assistance to the Ministry of Public Health for cholera surveillance and response and has strengthened the capacity for cholera case management and infection prevention and control.  USAID supports infection prevention control training, revitalization of drug therapeutic committees, and the provision of lab equipment and supplies.

The United States is committed to supporting Cameroon to strengthen its health systems and improve health outcomes.