The MSF Academy started implementing the Basic Clinical Nursing Care (BCNC) programme in the Central African Republic in 2019 with staff from four different hospitals, and progressively enrolled more staff and more project sites. It was the first country where the Academy rolled out the BCNC programme.
Some projects ended due to implementation challenges, operational reorganisations, insecurity in the country and difficulties faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The BCNC programme has been implemented in five sites in the Central African Republic: Bambari, Bossangoa, Bangassou, Bangui and Carnot.
In Carnot, the MSF Academy began implementing the BCNC in 2026 for 67 participants.
In Bangassou, the MSF Academy implemented the BCNC for two groups of participants between 2021 and 2026, with a total of 91 staff members successfully completing the programme.
In Bambari, a first group of participants completed the programme in 2023, and a second group completed it in 2026. In total, 49 participants fully completed the programme.
In Bangui, the MSF Academy has completed the BCNC programme in two of the CHUC wards: the Neonatal Ward, with 42 graduates, and the Internal Medicine Ward, with 52 graduates.
In Bossangoa, 18 participants completed the BCNC in 2023.
Following the training of learning companions, ongoing training began in various hospitals supported by MSF in CAR.
In December 2025, the MSF Academy launched the Operating Theatre (OT) Nursing Care programme at the SICA hospital in Bangui. Currently, 18 nurses are enrolled in this specialised training course.
The SICA project aims to provide free, high-quality, person-centred emergency surgical care in orthopaedics and visceral surgery.
The OT programme aims to improve patient safety and the quality of surgical care at SICA Hospital. In the Central African Republic, there is currently no specialised training for operating theatre nurses. Participants already work in the operating theatre but have not received specific training in this field. This initiative therefore enables them to develop specialised skills that are essential for supporting safe and effective surgical procedures.
Maternity Clinical Care
In Bangassou, the Maternity Clinical Care learning programme is under implementation for 24 participants from the maternity services of the hospital. The activities started in June 2026 and are planned to finish in September 2027.
At a patient’s bedside, a learning companion and a learner are reviewing a nursing practice, Central African Republic, 2020.
©Zaza Bamboy
Learners watching a learning video on a tablet, Central African Republic, 2020.
©Zaza Bamboy
