The 5th edition of the Scientific and Research Days of the Douala General Hospital (DGH), ended on November 14. Held under the theme “Excellence in Patient Care and Safety: Challenges and Perspectives.”, the need to strengthen patient safety, improve healthcare delivery and promote scientific research took centre stage.From November 12-14 experts examined challenges facing healthcare systems and explore innovative approaches to improving patient outcomes.Speaking at the official opening ceremony on Friday November 13th , the Deputy Director General of the Douala General hospital, Professor Danielle Christiane Kedy Mangamba Koum underscored the institution’s commitment to specialised healthcare, training, research and hospital cooperation. She noted that scientific research and innovation remain essential to improving clinical practices and developing professional competencies. She sounded off that the hospital has at least 40 university lecturers, about half of whom hold senior academic ranks. Their involvement in patient care, student supervision and research constitutes an important asset to the institution. This academic dynamism, she said, is reflected in nearly 600 bibliographical references indexed in the international PubMed database and close to 300 academic research projects hosted annually.On the theme of this year’s edition, the Deputy Director General emphasised that quality healthcare and patient safety should not be limited to well-equipped referral hospitals. Rather, every health facility and professional, regardless of their level of intervention, has a responsibility to uphold standards of quality, dignity and good clinical practice. She cited healthcare associated infections, preventable complications, communication gaps and organisational shortcomings as challenges that require greater vigilance, prevention and teamwork.
At the Douala General Hospital, these principles are encapsulated in the institutional motto, “Patients First,” which places patients at the centre of institutional decisions and professional practices.Meanwhile the president of the Organising Committee Professor Pius Fokam laid emphasises on the importance of continuous learning, knowledge sharing and multidisciplinary collaboration in an increasingly demanding healthcare environment. Citing World Health Organisation figures, he indicated that approximately one in every 10 patients experiences harm while receiving healthcare, with more than half of such incidents being preventable. In low and middle income countries, an estimated 134 million adverse events occur annually in hospitals, contributing to approximately 2.6 million deaths. He described these figures as a reminder that patient safety is not merely an institutional concern but a collective responsibility and an urgent public health priority.The scientific research days featured plenary sessions, conferences and debates, and roundtable discussions, just to name a few. Discussions also focused on risk management, infection prevention, multidisciplinary management of chronic diseases and care for persons with specific needs. The head of the regional development division at the Littoral governor’s office Madam Ebune Nicoline represented the governor at the event.
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