Exploring how health workers navigate through language barriers to provide healthcare to refugees from the Central African Republic in the East Region of Cameroon

As wars and other causes of forced displacement increase globally and within sub-Saharan African contexts, integration of refugees in host countries must be considered. Among other needs, being able to integrate into the host’s health system is vital. Since 2014, civil war in the Central African Republic has forced over 650,000 people to flee to neighboring countries like Cameroon. Central African refugees in the East Region of Cameroon speak mainly Fulfulde, whereas most Cameroonian health workers in the region speak primarily French. Although a decade has passed, the language barrier between old or new refugees and Cameroonian health workers in East Region of Cameroon remains understudied. This research aimed at understanding the experience of Cameroonian health workers in navigating through language barriers to provide care to refugees. Through a qualitative approach we performed in-depth key-informant interviews with eight health workers of the Ketté district hospital, East Cameroon. Study participants had little or no prior knowledge of Fulfulde before working in the hospital and had provided care to refugees for at least three months. Data was collected in French, transcribed, translated to English, and analyzed. Themes that emerged from the responses were: Difficulties in communication; Issues with informal interpreters; Impact of the language barrier on the quality of healthcare delivered; and Strategies to overcome the language barrier. This research documents experiences of health integration for Central African refugees in East Cameroon. It also provides a basis for interventions that could improve the quality of care and health outcomes for refugees.