The launch of the pilot phase of the Universal Health Coverage UHC is finally announced for next April 7after its failure in January 2022.

The East region has been chosen for the start of the implementation of the UHC in Cameroon. On Monday, March 27, the Regional Delegate for Public Health in the East, Dr. José Prosper Andjembe Essola, met with his collaborators to discuss strategies to be put in place for the smooth running of activities related to this event, reports the daily Cameroon Tribune.

The latter also visited the sites selected for the registration of the population of Bertoua and its surroundings, according to the same source. In Cameroon, households bear nearly 75% of their own costs, due to the lack of universal health coverage. In its strategic vision to ensure equitable access to quality health care for all Cameroonians, the government has initiated a process to eventually provide the country with a universal health coverage system.

This mechanism should thus enable each person to have access to the quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without this causing them financial difficulties. But the implementation of this project faces several challenges, including the lack of a legislative framework that will frame the UHC because of its mandatory nature.

The government has been studying a draft law for many months, according to the Minister of Public Health , Manaouda Malachie. For this first phase of the UHC, programmes specifically dedicated to vaccination or diseases, such as malaria in children, renal failure, HIV-AIDS, hepatitis, etc., will define the basic basket of care.