Household expenditure on healthcare in Cameroon is currently 72%, far from the 15% civil society organisations and other stakeholders in the healthcare sector are working to achieve.
According to officials of the Universal Health Coverage Technical Unit, household expenses on healthcare have surged by 2% compared to that of 2019. Meanwhile, public funds allocated for healthcare have dropped from 5.9% to 3.9%.
Reducing household expenses on healthcare is a major priority for stakeholders as the second phase of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Scheme unfolds in Cameroon. To achieve this, parliamentarians, government structures, mayors, regional councilors, private and public institutions, and civil society organizations have been seeking ways to reduce household expenses from 72% to 15%.
These stakeholders met at an advocacy dinner on 24th January 24 in Yaoundé, organized by the “Coalition des OSC pour le Financement de la Santé et la CSU (COFIS-CSU)”, the Network of Cameroonian Mayors for socio-economic wellbeing (REMCESS), with financial support from the Sustainable Impact for the Development of Africa (SIDAF).
“We noticed that households spend about 72% of their income on health, which is not normal. “We also noticed that the government’s investment in healthcare has reduced from 5.9% to 3.3%. This is why we brought together mayors to ask them how they can contribute to helping communities get better health services via the UHC,” said Joseph Wato, President of COFIS-CSU.
The meeting was an outcome of a series of advocacies carried out by parliamentary health networks.
“We are working with the government, civil society organizations, international partners, NGOs, UN agencies in Cameroon, and other donor associations to improve Cameroon’s health situation,” said Hon. Peter Njume Ambam, President of the Parliamentary Caucus for Health Financing.
Among the stakeholders at the meeting were officials from the Universal Health Coverage National Technical Unit, who are working in synergy with other stakeholders to achieve this feat.
“The average African country spends 36% of household income on health, but Cameroon households spending is relatively high. One of the things the UHC will achieve is bringing household expenses on health from 72% to 15%,”said Dr. MINTOP Annicet Désiré, Coordinator of the UHC National Technical Unit.
Among ongoing efforts to cut down household income on healthcare is the involvement of councils. Some mayors are increasing crafting out initiatives intended to lessen the burden on the households.
“Every year, we set aside some budget for the health of the vulnerable in our community.However, the needs are enormous, so we had to come up with this advocacy meeting so that parliament can examine the law on UHC,” Denis Awoh Ndang, Mayor of Funding Council explained.
UHC Progress Report
Twenty-one months after the UHC scheme was launched in Cameroon, 418,751 persons have pre-enlisted, while 3,650,498 people have enrolled for the scheme, according to the National UHC Technical Unit.
Since the scheme’s official launch on April 12, 2023, 3,551,425 people have enrolled. Additionally, 1,483,981 children aged 0-11 months received Vitamin A, 841,064 children aged 12-59 months received vitamin A, and 197,129 children aged 12-59 months received a dose of Mebendazole.
Regarding the curative aspect of the scheme, 1,215,676 pregnant women have received iron supplements, 529,328 pregnant women received Intermittent Preventative Treatment for Malaria, and 210,847 households received treated Mosquito Bed Nets.
Apart from reducing household expenses for healthcare, civil society organizations are also advocating for the Ministry of Public Health to include family planning in the UHC’s healthcare offers.
Kathy Neba Sina
