A U.S.-based Cameroonian nurse educator and researcher, John Nyah Mbout, has called for urgent reforms in the training, certification and regulation of nurses, midwives and health technicians in Cameroon, warning that fragmentation in the current system continues to affect workforce quality, professional mobility and patient safety.
Mbout, a registered nurse with more than 14 years of professional experience across Cameroon, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, made the call in a newly published policy analysis titled Harmonizing the Training and Certification of Nurses, Midwives, and Health Technicians in Cameroon: A Policy Analysis. This article was published by a U.S.-based science publishing group in the Central African Journal of Public Health on April 24, 2026.
A Call to Fix Cameroon’s Health Training System
In the paper, Mbout argues that Cameroon’s healthcare system faces a major governance challenge because nurses, midwives and health technicians are trained and certified through pathways that are not always properly harmonized.
The study notes that although Cameroon has expanded training opportunities over the years, the existence of parallel training routes, overlapping ministerial responsibilities and contested licensure rules has created uncertainty for graduates, employers, regulators and training institutions.
According to the analysis, the central problem is not simply the content of training programmes, but the absence of an integrated national governance system capable of setting and enforcing clear standards across institutions.
Research Highlights Gaps in Certification and Regulation
Mbout’s article identifies four major factors sustaining the problem. These include overlapping mandates between government institutions, incomplete equivalence across different qualification pathways, weakly defined transitional certification arrangements and insufficient regulatory infrastructure for accreditation, registration and continuing professional competence.
The study also examines the 2024 resolutions between Cameroon’s Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Public Health on paramedical training. While the resolutions are described as an important political opening, the paper argues that they do not yet provide the full procedural and regulatory framework needed for lasting reform.
For Mbout, sustainable reform will require a joint standard-setting and accreditation platform, competency-based equivalence rules, a unified licensure and registration pathway and transparent transition arrangements for professionals already affected by previous systems.
Why Harmonisation Matters for Patient Safety
The article places Cameroon’s debate within a wider public health context, stressing that nurses and midwives form a major part of the clinical workforce and play a central role in primary care, maternal health, neonatal care and community health services.
Health technicians, the study adds, also provide essential diagnostic, rehabilitation and public health support functions that influence clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.
When training and certification systems are not properly aligned, graduates may hold credentials that employers struggle to interpret and regulators struggle to standardize. The result, according to the analysis, can be confusion over professional legitimacy, limited mobility for health workers and potential risks to patient safety.
Mbout Says Reform Is Long Overdue
Speaking to MMI News, Mbout said he decided to focus on the subject because Cameroon’s healthcare system needs stronger standards in the training and certification of nurses, midwives and health technicians.
He said the article can serve as a guide for policymakers, nursing and midwifery schools, healthcare regulators, professional councils, researchers and training institutions as they work toward national standards, improved accreditation, clearer licensure pathways and stronger workforce regulation.
Mbout, who trained as a State Registered Nurse in Bamenda under Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health, later obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Texila American University in Guyana and an MBA in Healthcare Management from Ottawa University in Arizona. He is also preparing to begin a PhD in Nursing Leadership in 2026.
A Policy Debate Cameroon Cannot Ignore
The publication comes at a time when many Cameroonians continue to raise concerns about the quality, recognition and regulation of health training institutions in the country.
For years, debates have continued around the roles of the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Higher Education in supervising health training programmes, especially as private and university-based pathways have expanded.
Mbout’s analysis argues that Cameroon must move beyond temporary fixes and create a durable system that protects patients, supports health workers and gives training institutions clear national standards to follow.
A Resource for Policymakers and Training Institutions
The article recommends that Cameroon establish stronger coordination between ministries, professional bodies and training institutions to ensure that certificates, degrees and professional licences are clearly understood and properly regulated.
It also calls for competency-based equivalence rules, meaning that qualifications should not only be judged by their titles, but by whether graduates have acquired the skills required for safe and effective practice.
For Mbout, harmonising the training and certification of nurses, midwives and health technicians is not only a professional issue. It is also a public health priority.
Applications of the study could extend to curriculum reform, accreditation reviews, professional council reforms, workforce planning and future policy discussions on healthcare quality in Cameroon.
The full article is available through Science Publishing Group in the Central African Journal of Public Health.
About the Author
John Nyah Mbout (MJN) is a highly experienced Registered Nurse with over 13 years of professional nursing experience across Cameroon, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. He holds a State Registered Nurse Diploma from the Training School for State Registered Nurses in Bamenda, under the Ministry of Public Health, Cameroon; a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Texila American University in Guyana, South America; and a Master of Business Administration with a specialization in Healthcare Management from Ottawa University Arizona, USA.
Mbout is the CEO and Founder of MJN Health Academy & Professional Services Ltd. and CareerPath Africa, a pioneering online college and university platform designed to provide accessible, high-quality, and career-driven education for African students and working professionals. In addition, he serves as a Nurse Educator and Researcher, with a strong focus on supporting governments and institutions in nursing and healthcare policy reform, curriculum development, strategic planning, and professional development.
