Technical evaluation of the Regional Funds for Health Promotion in Cameroon
Project Abstract
Since 2012, GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) has been supporting the Ministry of Public Health of Cameroon (MINSANTE) through the "Project to Support Reproductive Health" (PASaR). This project is funded by the German Ministry of Cooperation (BMZ) and the State of Cameroon. The objective of the PASaR project in its current implementation phase (2018-2020) is to improve the population's coverage of good quality health services, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The GIZ and the MINSANTE have jointly committed themselves to pursuing this objective. The project operates through a multi-level approach divided into three fields of action, which contribute to strengthening the capacities of partner institutions: Access to quality services in sexual and reproductive health and rights; Quality Human Resources; Regional Funds for Health Promotion (RFHP). The project seeks to achieve the following main outputs: Output A: Population access to quality health services in the districts supported is improved, particularly in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights; Output B: The capacities of health facility teams in the districts covered are strengthened; Output C: The capacities of the Regional Funds in their health promotion role are strengthened.
The state of Cameroon operates ten Regional Funds for Health Promotion that are the regional implementing partners of the national health strategy. In this context the ten RFHP should be able to support new national initiatives in health like the Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Universal health coverage means that all people and communities can use the preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship. This definition of UHC embodies three related objectives:
• Equity in access to health services - everyone who needs services should get them, not only those who can pay for them;
• The quality of health services should be good enough to improve the health of those receiving services; and
• People should be protected against financial-risk, ensuring that the cost of using services does not put people at risk of financial harm.
Before the effective start of the Universal Health Coverage in which the Regional Funds are called upon to play an essential role, the Government should ensure the organisational, technical and financial viability of these structures.
GIZ contracted out the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute to participate to the organisational, technical and financial assessment of the ten RFHP in its specific component related to the pharmaceutical supply chain management including procurement and distribution of health products intended for health structures throughout the country.