In this part of the country, many patients suffering from sexually transmitted infections are victims of the disclosure of medical secrets. This leads to a reluctance on the part of many to interrupt their treatment.
The no-Disregard for medical confidentiality by some healthcare professionals undermines patient trust and jeopardizes access to care, particularly in reproductive health services. Several patients report seeing sensitive information circulating within institutions, leading many to abandon their hospital and seek treatment elsewhere, sometimes in distant locations.
The immediate consequence of this approach is increased expenses. To preserve their confidentiality, patients bear the cost of transportation and accommodation to more distant centers, a heavy financial burden for many local households. « I
preferred to go to another center in Ngaoundéré, even though it cost me a lot, because I didn’t want the whole neighborhood to know about my problem, » confides a patient at a reproductive health service who sometimes has to travel nearly 100 km to pick up her medication. This phenomenon also leads to disruptions in continuity of care and treatment delays that can worsen health conditions.
Advocacy by civil society organizations
Civil society organizations specializing in patient rights are sounding the alarm. They are calling on healthcare professionals to strengthen training in confidentiality and to establish clear sanctions for breaches. « Respect for confidentiality is not a minor detail; it is the foundation of the relationship of trust between caregiver and patient, » states a representative of a local NGO. The associations are also advocating for greater decentralization of care, in order to bring quality services closer to communities and reduce costly travel related to the need for confidentiality.“And the lack of suitable infrastructure means that children can’t go to the hospital because, as you might see, I might have a neighbor, my mother’s neighbor, or my father’s friend at the hospital. When I go to the Regional Health Agency (ARS), they’ll ask me if I’m sick or what’s happened to my body,” observes Mairama Diddi Bouba, coordinator of the Adamaoua Girls’ Forum. She adds, “There are also these young girls who often find themselves marginalized when faced with crucial questions about their future because, at some point, they need support, they need to be listened to, but they aren’t given the time to express themselves.”
Without swift action, growing mistrust risks leading to a decline in the use of essential health services, with a lasting impact on public health in the Adamawa region. Concrete actions must be implemented to mitigate these situations that compromise access to healthcare.
