Reaching Universal Health Coverage by 2035: Is Cameroon on Track? (original) (raw)
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Progress towards Universal Health Coverage: Is Cameroon Investing Enough in Primary Care?
Universal Journal of Public Health
Cameroon faces significant income and health inequalities, due to the health sector's reliance on out-of-pocket spending for 70% of healthcare financing. To solve this problem, the government in 2015 began reflections for the putting in place of a universal health coverage (UHC) scheme. However, a number of planning, budgeting and resource management processes must be strengthened to facilitate this reform. This paper aims at reviewing the structure of resource allocation within the ministry of health to assess if it reflects the government's desire to enhance service availability and readiness for the impending UHC. Data was derived from finance laws (chapter 40) of 2014 to 2018. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The results reveal a high centralization of the budget in favor of the central administration to the detriment of the operational level. Allocations to the regional and district levels are insensitive to the size and needs of the population of the regions and districts. As a consequence, there are great disparities between the regions and between urban and rural areas, leading to inequity in service delivery. In order to increase the quantity and quality of primary care in an effort to reach UHC, we recommend that more resources be directed to the operational level while district managers are capacitated to effectively and efficiently use these funds.
AMELIORATING ACCESS TO PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN CAMEROON
Introduction: In developing countries access to Primary Health Care services is still yet to be optimal. A considerate part of the population still finds it very difficult to come across the quality health care services they need. Here we try to bring out the various internal and external factors that lead to the above problem and how these factors can be addressed thus, ameliorating access to quality health care services especially in resource limited settings. Discussion: Cameroon like other developing countries also faces this problem of access to health care services. The causes range from poor production and recruitment planning of health personnel, unequal geographical distribution of health workers, poor working conditions, affordability of services and their subsequent utilization. These factors lead to the adoption of poor and illegal habits by the personnel and brain drain to developed countries as well as drifts towards self-medication and other illegal means of service appropriation by the population. Conclusion: The issue of ameliorating access to Primary Health Care services is complex thus should be handled in a very cautious way. There is need for political will and financial investment in the health sector so as to ensure availability of affordable healthcare services in terms of infrastructure and personnel. There by putting in place mechanisms to encourage utilization of these services, because every citizen has the right to good health.
For Universal Health Coverage to happen, health systems need to be strengthened: The case of Senegal
2019
Introduction: The Government of Senegal is firmly committed towards universal health coverage (UHC). Various initiatives have been launched over the last decade to extend the coverage of risk protection to the entire population. The objective of UHC is mainly pursued through (i) a desire to expand coverage in services in poor areas and (ii) improvement of financial access through the Universal Health Insurance Policy (called CMU). However, the proportion of the population actually covered is still low, and access to health services and funding of national public health priorities are limited by inadequate allocation of resources. The concept of UHC is closely linked to health system strengthening (HSS). The latter comprises the means, while UHC is a way of framing the policy objectives.1Aim: This study aims to assess the main gaps and henceforth necessary requirements in terms of HSS so as to facilitate progress towards UHC in Senegal.Methods: Based on a critical review of existing ...
Monitoring and Evaluating Progress towards Universal Health Coverage in Ethiopia
PLoS Medicine, 2014
Ghana has been institutionalizing a set of coordinated mechanisms to measure and monitor progress in health coverage. These periodic assessments have over time shown significant country progress towards achieving a fifty--percent reduction in childhood morality rate by 2015 and a two--thirds reduction in maternal deaths within the same period. However, a lot more effort remains for Ghana to actually attain these Millennium Development Goals targets post 2015. The push for universal health coverage is now more important than ever and has necessitated the adoption of a systematic set of measurement and monitoring tools that will overtime depict effective country progress towards improved health outcomes, consolidating optimum health coverage. Ghana is working towards developing a system that is comparable with those in other countries of similar population structure and economic status particularly in Sub--Saharan Africa, to ensure more meaningful analysis of desired national health goals and outcomes. The purpose of this review is to determine whether Ghana as a country endorses universal health coverage and how well Ghana is positioned to achieve universal health coverage as well as which existing policies can or should be developed to achieve this. The review examines the systems operational for measuring universal health coverage in Ghana, strategies for identifying and addressing relevant gaps as well as which indicators will most appropriately assess progress towards universal health coverage. The review is contributing to the World Summary Points: 13 1. Ghana has an elaborate range of indicator to measure and monitor its health outcomes, however, there is 14 need for greater clarity on which indicators sufficiently measure true coverage and which ones measure 15 impact or output 16 2. Policy--wise, success of Ghana achieving universal health coverage will depend to a large extent on 17 Government leadership in promoting its key initiatives of community--based health care and services 18 (CHPS), NHIS and Decentralization to increase focus on preventive and promotive health actions rather 19 than large capital investments on hospital--based care in order to contain cost.
UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE IN NIGERIA
2024
Globally, health indices cannot improve or fulfil their targets until Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is adopted and decisive measures towards health behavioural changes are taken through educational, service, and regulatory strategies. Though poor implementations of UHC-focused programmes have been blamed on mismanagement and societal complexity, this is not truly the case. The real challenge is built on three key approaches that are handled with levity and most of which function together as interconnected interventions necessary to enable UHC. Health insurance laws should be amended not to have an "optional" clause and instead it should be obligatory. This will increase the pool which has positive financial implications for healthcare providers going for capitation mode of payment while the financial burden is shared in the pool. It is necessary to use educational, service, and regulatory approaches to facilitate Universal Health Coverage (UHC), particularly in developing countries, while addressing the challenges to health care access or coverage posed by financial cost, a lack of facilities, and skilled personnel. Thus, finding solutions for all of these will facilitate UHC.
The role of Health Information System is fundamental to achieve the goals of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). UHC aims at achieving equitable and sustainable health outcomes without financial hardship for citizens. For countries to achieve the UHC goal, they must have a financial health system and also need to have an integrated information system; that could interact with multiple information systems, and to generate good quality information to inform-decisions, and monitor progress towards these goals. Health Information systems in Cameroon, like most other Lower-and Middle-Income countries has neither an integrated HIS nor a financial health scheme such as social health insurance. Factors contributing to this situation are the complexity of meeting multiple institutional interest and institutional logics that might be competing and conflicting. The purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of the role (and challenges) of integrated HIS in achieving UHC. To reach this goal we analysed the case of Cameroon using institutional logics as our analytical lens. Data was obtained through in-depth interviews with officials of Ministry of Public Health and UHC focal team in the capital of Yaoundé in December 2015 and January 2016. Document review was used as secondary method of data collection. We identify two major logics; centralized HIS existing on the ground and integrated HIS proposed by the UHC initiative. We compare their interplay and discuss related implications for the integration of health information systems in order to support the goals of UHC. This study makes an interesting contribution empirically by discussing information systems for UHC as well as in the debate on institutional logics.
Universal Health Coverage – Is Leaving No One Behind in Nigeria a Pipe Dream
Nigeria is widely recognized as contributing a major proportion of the global burden of diseases. The majority of her population reside in the rural areas and belong to the informal workforce that is largely untouched by government's National Health Insurance Scheme, leaving universal health coverage for Nigeria's citizens a dream still far from realization. Nigeria's health sector is thus plagued with myriad inequities and inefficiencies, leaving many individuals and families impoverished by catastrophic health expenditures out of their pockets. A well-thought-out strategy for the implementation of universal health coverage utilizing increased government expenditure, strengthened legislation, innovative financing mechanisms, recruitment, training and support of community health workers, community-based financing schemes, and private sector engagement is therefore necessary.
Journal of Scientific Research and Reports
The declaration of universal health coverage (UHC) as a sustainable development goal (SDG), in 2015 was a global resolution to building a world free of diseases and disease-related deaths. The goal is in tandem with many other work frames of the United Nations under the chaperone of the World health organization to create a healthier society. Hence, every country under the United Nations agreed to pursue this mission as part of the UN’s sustainable development goals, targeting 2030 as the project finish line. Improving health service coverage and health outcomes depends on the availability, accessibility, and capacity of the healthcare system and care providers to deliver quality and people-centred integrated care. In this regard, Nigeria has adopted several approaches to ensure the implementation of the UHC even amidst enormous challenges. This article has critically examined common but prominent factors beclouding the attainment of UHC, SDG in Nigeria. Key factors such as the prim...