(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon is facing a significant challenge in funding its 6th National Strategic Plan for Malaria Control for 2024-2028. According to the Ministry of Public Health, FCFA 336.95 billion is needed for the planned interventions. By April 2024, only FCFA 149.98 billion had been raised, leaving a financial shortfall of more than FCFA 186 billion, or 55% of the total requirement.
During World Malaria Day on April 25, Public Health Minister Manaouda Malachie expressed concerns about securing the necessary funding. Data analysis shows a gap in meeting the needs to effectively combat malaria in Cameroon. In the previous Strategic Plan period (2021-2023), Cameroon mobilized FCFA 132 billion of the FCFA 232 billion needed, resulting in a deficit of FCFA 100 billion. Malachie emphasized the urgent need to close this gap to ensure equitable and universal access to malaria prevention and treatment interventions.
For the 2024-2028 period, the targeted funding must ensure the availability of medical supplies at all levels, facilitating the efficient and swift treatment of confirmed malaria cases. Interventions will cover health facilities and communities through polyvalent community health workers. The minister highlighted government measures to guarantee universal and affordable access to malaria prevention and treatment, especially for vulnerable groups like children under five and pregnant women. The 2024-2028 Strategic Plan aligns with Phase 1 of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), aiming to improve access to quality healthcare.
On June 12, during a special parliamentary session on malaria, the health minister reiterated that despite progress, population coverage for prevention and treatment remains inadequate due to insufficient funding. This year, the Ministry of Public Health’s budget increased from FCFA 228.168 billion in 2023 to FCFA 255.281 billion in 2024, an 11.88% rise. However, the health budget has never exceeded 7% of the state budget, far from the 15% target set by the 2000 Abuja Declaration.
On June 12, members of the Parliamentary Working Group on Health Financing in Cameroon called for a budget increase. “We are also demanding ministers allocate 1% of their budgets to the fight against malaria,” said MP Njume Peter Ambang, as reported by the national radio.
Following a ministerial conference in Yaoundé on March 6, the most malaria-affected states, including Cameroon, signed the “Yaoundé Declaration.” This document commits to increasing national resources for malaria control and boosting overall investment in the health sector. It also calls on the international community to increase financial aid and make it “more predictable,” aligning with national priorities.
