MRGAT: where we are now

MRGAT: Clinical MANAGEMENT, community RESPONSIBILITY, information and GUIDANCE on health services in the fight AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS Over the past two years, I have had the responsibility and privilege of travelling to Cameroon twice a year, more specifically to Ngaoundal, where the Sisters of Charity have been operating a large district hospital with various specialities for over 10 years. It is an honour for a private hospital administered by a religious congregation to be designated a district hospital, because it signifies that the government acknowledges the quality of the care provided, the modernity of the equipment, and the professionalism of the staff. However, it also represents a challenge in terms of the high quality standards that must be achieved and maintained. Furthermore, there is no state funding available to support ongoing improvements and upgrades. In fact, the hospital relies only slightly on the fees charged to patients for individual services; it depends heavily on contributions from the Congregation, the Thouret Foundation and a few private donors, and, hopefully increasingly, on participation in call for proposals and projects, including international initiatives, that are very demanding and require the dedication of a number of human resources. It is our hope that the latter method will become increasingly common and there will always be someone available to follow the calls for proposals, supervise the procedures, and maintain relationships with partners and sponsors. At the moment, and this has been going on for almost two years now, the Hospital is engaged in the complex management of the MRGAT project, which is fully funded by AICS (Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development), an agency of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and partnered by the Gemelli Polyclinic and the Thouret Foundation. The MRGAT project is an example of the synergy and professional resources that the Hospital is dedicating to its proper management so as to benefit the quality and professionalism of its medical, nursing and administrative staff.

The MRGAT project is an example of the synergistic commitment and professional resources that the hospital is dedicating to its proper management, so that it benefits the quality and professionalism of its doctors, nurses and administrative staff. The Echoing Caller project (because MRGAT in the local language refers to this profession) was initiated by Dr Mauro Moretti and Dr Francesca Pezzolo after the discovery of increasing cases of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, a disease caused by Malnutrition, especially by poor milk pasteurisation, where milk that is only partially sterilised becomes a cause and transmitter of infection… an infection that, if diagnosed early, is curable. This is precisely the effort made during the endless days called TBDAY (tuberculosis days): awareness questionnaires, thorough analysis of symptoms through laboratory tests, X-rays and ultrasounds, as well as extensive training through an extra-large display board that everyone can see, understand and read in their native language and dialect.

Then, information is continuously spread through the natural channels of friendship and solidarity. ‘Do you always have a cough? Does your stomach hurt? Have you lost a lot of weight? Go to Gala Gala!’ At this moment, the main people behind the project are Sister Christine Richard (the director of the Gala Gala Hospital) and Sister Claudine Bolan, who is responsible for administration and the projects office. Together with the new medical director, Dr Yves, they regularly meet with the head of the Sacro Cuore University in Milan, particularly with Dr Vitalone and Dr Brambilla, who, with the Gemelli Polyclinic, are the main partners in the project. Dr Yves, Coordination continuously with the project leader, the Sacred Heart University of Milan, and in particular with Dr Vitalone and Dr Brambilla who, together with the Gemelli Polyclinic and Prof. Antonelli’s team, represented by Dr Patrizia Laurenti, organise the health training sessions for the work in progress of the MRGAT project and to plan the TBdays. Dr Mauro Moretti and Dr Francesca Pezzolo are monitoring the project closely and will be present at the TB Day in February after the mandatory break due to the delicate phase of the presidential elections in Cameroon. There have been five TB Days so far (24 October 2024, 6 March, 6 May, 22 May, 19 June 2025) attended by an average of 200 participants; it is expected that at least three more will be organised. The TBDAY events have also been accompanied by three awareness-raising days in schools (17 and 26 November 2025, 15 December 2025), which reached another thousand children, young people and families. MRGAT aims to become a scientific research and publication project supporting prevention in the Adamawha Region. The government and regional health authorities have already shown interest in the results and developments.