Acquisition of Multilingual Competencies for Medical and Health Students in Cameroon
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- 18 Sep 2024
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In Cameroon, a multilingual country with over 200 languages, acquiring multilingual competencies is crucial, particularly in the field of health education. Health education is a complex and dynamic process that requires effective communication between healthcare practitioners and patients from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
In Cameroon, most healthcare practitioners come from urban areas and often struggle to communicate with local people in rural areas, where linguistic and cultural barriers can hinder the delivery of quality healthcare services.
Dr. NKE Ekanni Bertrand, a pharmacist, assistant lecturer, and humanitarian activist from Douala, Cameroon, has been working to support people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds in Cameroon to acquire health education. He co-founded the Village sans Frontières, a humanitarian organization promoting health and education in Cameroon, and serves as the president of ASSEMBPOL, a medical, pharmacy, and biological student association in Lekié, Cameroon.
Dr. Bertrand and his team at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Douala University have designed an effective programme to improve literacy acquisition in all languages of the country. This programme aims to reinforce multicultural awareness and helps healthcare students to learn more than two minority languages, enabling them to communicate effectively with patients from different parts of the country.
Dr. Bertrand encourages healthcare practitioners in multilingual countries to establish associations that bring together professionals from various linguistic backgrounds, fostering mutual learning and cultural insights. He emphasizes the importance of embracing multilingualism as a valuable asset, rather than a limitation, and promoting linguistic integration through regular meetings, cross-cultural exchanges, and travel opportunities.
Acquiring multilingual competencies is essential for healthcare students and practitioners in Cameroon, enabling them to provide quality healthcare services to patients from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. By promoting multilingualism and cultural awareness, healthcare professionals can bridge the communication gap and improve health outcomes in Cameroon.
