By Andrew Nsoseka
The Cameroonian government has moved to allay fears that the temporary suspension of US funding for health programmes would disrupt the provision of essential services. In a statement, the Ministry of Public Health reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria drugs and services remain “entirely free of charge” in all public health facilities and affiliated community-based organisations nationwide.
“The Government remains resolutely committed to ensuring access to prevention, care, treatment, and support services for the general public across the national territory,” the Ministry stated.
The Minister’s press release is coming out following the spread of information on social media platforms, claiming that, henceforth, patients will have to pay out of pocket to access the treatments that had been heavily subsidised by the US foreign AID programmes, ensuring that those in need can have it free of charge.
The US government had previously provided significant funding for Cameroon’s health programmes, particularly in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. However, the temporary suspension of this funding has raised concerns about the sustainability of these programmes.
The Ministry of Public Health has pledged to implement “immediate, medium and long-term mitigation measures” to ensure continuity of services. Additionally, the Minister said the government is advancing its Universal Health Coverage, UHC, agenda, aimed at strengthening the sustainability of priority health programmes.
In his release, the Minister of Public Health called on citizens to remain calm and rely only on official communications from the ministry. “Any citizen who encounters cases of unauthorised charges for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, or malaria services is encouraged to report such incidents to the Regional Delegations of Public Health or the Regional Technical Groups of HIV/TB/Malaria for appropriate action,” the statement read.