Cameroon clinic addresses obesity problem

An obesity clinic in Cameroon has been set up with the help of more than 5,000 USD collected by staffs of Novo Nordisk France.  Most importantly local support in the form of buildings and staff from the Central Hospital has given substance to the clinic. In the first four month 800 people have sought advice and treatment at the clinic located in “Hôpital Central Yaounde”, which is the largest hospital in Cameroon.The clinic has been fully functioning since January 2005, and is already considered a success. Obesity in Cameroon In a population of 16 million people, surprising 35% of the adult population is either overweight or obese. Estimated 600,000 people have already been diagnosed with diabetes, but more are expected due to the rise in obesity. This makes it more and more necessary for the health care system to focus on obesity before it becomes a health problem causing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. People come from all over Cameroon and travel sometimes for 24 hours to visit the clinic in Yaounde. They are in many cases already struggling with obesity related problems like diabetes and hypertension, joint pains and in addition have a poor body perception. All problems the health care personnel are able to care about, through educational sessions, a diet plan and health investigation.   Misconceptions are part of the obesity problem Dr. André Pascal Kengne, a consultant internist at the clinic, recognises the myths and misconceptions in the visiting patients, explaining why people in Cameroon only reluctantly try to avoid obesity: “Obesity and diabetes are family matters, they think they are fat because everyone in the family is fat, so they conclude that there is nothing they can do about it. Secondly the obese patients tend to relate there condition to a situation they had in their lives, like ‘I started having this when my father died’”. In a part of the world burdened by infectious diseases, 50,000 die each year of AIDS, and half a million live with the disease, some also believe that controlling their weight will make people think that they are suffering from HIV/AIDS.   The need for a clinic underestimated In other aspects of health care a rise in the number of patients is seldom considered a success, but in the case of the obesity clinic in the Central Hospital of Yauonde this is in fact the case. Every patient attracted to the clinic has started the fight against obesity related diseases such as diabetes. The clinic has been fully functioning since January 2005. Before opening the clinic, the number of visits a week was estimated to be around 25-35. In the spring of 2005 after having been open to the public for four months the clinic receives 50 people every week. From starting point the clinic was supposed to be opened for visitations once or twice a week, but due to the demand it is now running every day. Consulting internist Dr. Kegne says “Some people come from very far and travel overnight. They rely on transportation facilities and more often cannot reach Yaounde on the initial clinic days. We had to take that into consideration not to let people wait too long in Yaounde before being received at the clinic. Patients living nearby can not obtain permission from work to attend the clinic for obesity treatment purposes. So they come during their break”. The Hôpital Central Yaounde hosts the clinic which contains 8 rooms including doctors consulting rooms, a small laboratory, health education and dietetics room, documentation room and waiting area. Staff include a doctor, general practitioner, nutritionist, health educator and a laboratory technician.   A day at the clinic Patients come as early as 6.30 a.m. and nurses start the patient registration around 7.30 a.m. After registration and basic lab investigations are performed the patient follows a collective education session on various topics. While waiting for the consultation, the patient is welcome to follow other audio-visual education programs. Doctors start consulting at 8.30 a.m. and after the consultation a general health education is given. If more investigation is necessary the patient is directed to the lab. A diet plan is established during a session with a nutritionist, who discusses the diet. The visit ends with a one-to-one session at the educationist, where other concerns are addressed.   The obesity clinic is part of a World Diabetes Foundation supported project paving the way for a national diabetes programme for Cameroon.