By SheronTita
The Mayor of Buea, David Mafani Namange, has used the launch of the Extension of Universal Health Coverage Health Voucher ( UHC) for South West and North West Regions to appeal to the head of state through the Minister of Public Health for a relaunch of the construction of Buea Referral Hospital.
“Taking into consideration the insufficient health facilities we now have in Buea, which is mostly due to the influx of people especially internally displaced persons caused by the ongoing crisis in the Northwest and Southwest Regions, we will like to use this opportunity to appeal to the head of state through your Excellency the Minister of Public Health to relaunch the construction works on the abandoned Buea, Referral Hospital project, “ the Mayor appealed last Wednrsday, 7th August in Buea..
The launching ceremony saw the Governor of the South West Region, represented by his Secretary General, Acha Gilbert Nkwenti.
UHC has as main objective to increase access and use of covered services by removing financial barriers and improving the quality of healthcare and services in Cameroon. It has as targets: pregnant women, children aged 0 to 5, PLHIV, people suffering from tuberculosis and patients requiring dialysis sessions.
Curative care and services provided by the Universal Health Coverage are: Free consultation for children aged 0-5 years for all types of pathologies, free treatment for simple and severe malaria in children aged 0 to 5 years, care for pregnant women enrolled in UHC Phase I and their newborns up to 42 days of life after they have paid 6000fcfa, free antiretroviral treatment for
people living with HIV, free treatment of tuberculosis, and coverage of dialysis sessions by paying only 15000 Fcfa per year instead of 520,000Fcfa.
Aside from that, UHC has equally contributed to the achievement of social inclusion, reduction of inequalities, gender equality, poverty eradication, human capital development and economic growth.
It is worth noting that the Minister of Public Health Dr Manaouda Malachie, on January 30th, 2023, set up a National Technical Unit for the implementation of this phase 1 of UHC.
The Phase 1 of UHC was officially launched on April 12, 2023 in Mandjou, East Region.
Speaking at the Buea event, Dr.Manaouda Malachie, while applauding health workers for their relentless services to the population, reiterated that the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage program demonstrates their unwavering commitment to the health sector.
“ I will like to acknowledge the commitment and the dedication of the Health workers for their timeless works to improve the living conditions of the people despite the concerns they face in carrying out their duties; their self-sacrifice and undoubtedly the foundation on which the transformation of our Health care system lies. The implementation of the Universal Health Coverage is more a legitimate and clear proof of this unreserved commitment”, he said.
The President of Hemodialysis Patients Buea, Arrey Ojong, for his part,
expressed words of gratitude to the President of the Republic for UHC, noting that its introduction has helped them tremendously as they no longer jump dialysis.
“ The Universal Health Coverage had come to really assist us. We thank first the Head of State for this initiative. We thank the minister of Health, every person involved in this Universal Health Coverage. There have been tremendous changes in our lives. In fact the future was so bleak that more often we jumped dialysis because of the cost. The cost that we used to pay yearly has been brought to 15000 FRS. We no longer jump dialysis we are regular”, he said.
The population of Southwest Region, in the days ahead are encouraged to register themselves in the Cameroon Health Coverage application so as to benefit from the free hospital treatment.
Since its launch in 2014, the “Health Voucher” program has demonstrated its effectiveness in the northern regions, including the Far North, North, and Adamaoua. In March 2022, the Public Health Minister had previously announced the program’s expansion to the East and South regions, although its initial conclusion was set for December 2022. The success experienced in the regions already benefiting from this initiative, which is funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the German Development Bank (KfW), prompted the government to prolong and broaden the program.
Minister Manaouda indicated that this new extension is expected to raise national coverage from 50% to 70%. The ultimate aim is to achieve complete coverage across the national territory, contingent upon the project’s development and any potential legal, financial, and social challenges. Health authorities report that the current phase of UHC has already yielded encouraging results. Data from the Ministry of Public Health reveals that 3,765,078 individuals have been pre-enrolled, with 2,976,156 officially registered.
The program has also facilitated the vaccination of thousands of children, newborns, and pregnant women, in addition to providing deworming treatments, such as mebendazole, and intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for malaria in pregnant women. In terms of curative care, the initiative has offered free consultations to 642,090 children and treated 364,324 children aged 0 to 5 for both uncomplicated and severe malaria. Prenatal consultations have benefited 346,395 pregnant women, who were charged only XAF6,000. Furthermore, the program has enabled 140,416 deliveries at no cost, including 7,066 cesarean sections, and conducted 57,384 dialysis sessions, according to the same source.
