Cameroon

The government of Cameroon is committed to providing the country with a universal health coverage (UHC) system. Cameroon aims to provide quality health care and services and to promote equity in the distribution of services and protection against related financial hardship. This commitment enjoys a high level of political will led by the head of state, who has set up a national multisectoral technical group to coordinate work on these goals.

The country has a national strategy defining the trajectory of UHC in Cameroon. Four principles guide its implementation: (1) universality, (2) compulsory membership, (3) national solidarity, and (4) the overall responsibility of the state. To advance implementation, major challenges that remain for the country to address were validated: strengthening the supply of health services, organization of demand for health services, governance matters and financing of the health system. 

The legal framework has been completed and awaits the parliament’s adoption. This legal mechanism will specify the procedures for collecting and managing household contributions with the creation of a fund for the purchase of health services.

UHC will be launched in Cameroon in a first  phase before all legal steps are completed. This will allow operational steps that could and should begin even without parliamentary action. So, in view of the country’s priorities related to UHC, phase 1 of the implementation of Cameroon’s UHC system was scheduled to start in March 2023 with a limited basket of care and funding acquired from both the state and partners. This arrangement was considered a phase 1 trial of the UHC system. 

A health voucher mechanism is the main driver of the phase 1 trial. This trial was expected to  allow the gradual integration of other existing health financing mechanisms in the country, to ensure a pooling of resources and strategic purchasing of services.