By DOH JAMES SONKEY IN YAOUNDE
National competitive entrance examinations for candidates wishing to be trained as health professionals will take place from September 8 and 22 and October 13, 2017. Meeting last June 9, 2017 in the Conference Room of the Ministry of Higher Education in their 5th session, members of the National Commission for Medical, Pharmaceutical and Odontostomatological Training in Cameroon expressed satisfaction over the level of preparations some months to the examinations.
According to the timetable released by the National Commission for Medical, Pharmaceutical and Odontostomatological Training in Cameroon, candidates will write the national clinical and therapeutic examinations on September 8, 2017, national entrance examination into medical training and national entrance examination into the fourth year on September 22 while the national specialization examination and national internship examination will take place on October 13, 2017.
Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of the National Commission, Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo of Higher Education reassured candidates that “in an effort to maximize the chances of all candidates of the two sub systems of education (Anglophone and Francophone), participants recommended that they need to make sure that the specificities of the GCE Advanced Level and Baccalaureate profiles are taken into consideration, that open questions are set in addition to multiple choice questions, and finally that the quality of translated questions in the two official languages is ameliorated.”
According to a press release issued at the end of their deliberations, it was disclosed that members of the commission brainstormed on the situation of the draft text on internship, the eligibility of candidates holders of Baccalaureate F7 and F8, the training of pharmacists in the University of Dschang, the opening of an emergency Master’s programme at the Emergency Centre in Yaounde with commission members consensually recognizing that the Emergency Centre is not legally habilitated to train medical doctors, the opening of a Master’s programme in Laparoscopic Surgery in the University of Douala, the Social climate in accredited medical training establishments and lastly preparations for the 2017 session of national examinations.
Set up on June 10, 2013, the National Commission for Medical, Pharmaceutical and Odontostomatological Training in Cameroon has as Vice Chair, Public Health Minister, Andre Mama Fouda and its members are drawn from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministries of Higher Education, Public Health, Public Service and Administrative Reforms, Finance, Economy, Planning and Regional Development, state universities and public and private medical training institutions, National Orders of Health Professionals (medical doctors, pharmacists, odontostomatologists), the World Health Organization and the International Conference of Deans of French-Speaking faculties of Medicine (CIDMEF).