The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a set of health and social objectives that ensure the access of the population as a whole to quality health services, irrespective of the financial resources of each individual. It, therefore, promotes the exercise of the right to health as a human right by dissociating access to services from the ability to pay. Based on (i) universality, (ii) national solidarity, and (iii) the responsibility of all, the UHC aims at a policy of social justice in order to reduce inequalities in access to health care for the population and to promote health insurance.
In this regard, the United Nations General Assembly adopted on 12 December 2012, Resolution A/67/L36 for the Universal Health Coverage. It is on the strength of this political commitment that it occupies a prominent place in the 2030 Agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in September 2015. Goal 31 spelled out in target 8 commits to : « Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all ».
Similarly, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 in its Aspiration 1 places particular emphasis on the health of the population. This is why, African countries have committed themselves by launching in 2017 a process that aims at, eventually, endowing themselves with a Universal Health Coverage system. In Cameroon, the Head of State, in his 31 December 2017 address, underlined the need to complete the reflections on implementing a Universal Health Coverage in Cameroon. Since then, the Government has been working on it.
It is thus in line with this strong political commitment that the National Development Strategy (NDS30) has prioritized the reinforcement of the health system that aims to : (i) improve the efficiency of the health system by taking advantage of decentralization, (ii) establish the Universal Health Coverage, (iii) promote the development of a local pharmaceutical industry, (iv) promote hospital performance and quality approach in health facilities ; (v) strengthen geographic accessibility to health care, (vi) have qualified and motivated health personnel, and (vii) improve health governance (cf. NDS30, Pillar 2, page 75 section 4.3.4)..
It is in this vein that the Health Sector Strategy (HSS 2016-2027), aligned with the NDS30 and the 2035 VISION has as its objective : Cameroon, a country where universal access to quality health services is guaranteed for all social classes by 2035, with the full participation of communities.
Last modified: 16 juin 2022
