Cameroon launches the RBM Partnership Report
31 March 2010
Cameroon launches the RBM Partnership Report
Minister of Public Health clamours for cost-effective interventions in malaria control
The Minister of Public Health (MOH), Mr André MAMA FOUDA on Friday, 19 March 2010, presided over the launching ceremony of the RBM Partnership Report at the conference hall of his ministry. The 96-page report that was launched was the first of a series of RBM Progress and Impact report that dwells on “Country Funding and Resource Utilisation”.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Health, Prof Angwafor III and the Executive Director of the Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria (CCAM), Prof Rose Leke were the moderators of the launch that was co-facilitated by CCAM alongside other partners (WHO, NMCP and CAMAM). And present at the occasion, were government officials, representatives from key ministries, RBM National Committee members, NMCP partners, representatives of international bodies and the civil society as well as media persons.
At the start of the occasion, the MOH was unequivocal in his keynote address when he sounded loud and clear: “The report we are having here today, is laying emphasis on the need to carry out cost-effective interventions in the control of malaria, the number one killer of children. We all need to work together, in a concerted and efficient approach to minimize cost and maximize profits in terms of results at all levels of the Health System to the communities…”
The purpose of this report is in effect to advocate and encourage donors to continue funding malaria in order to maintain the gains made so far and move the world towards malaria elimination. The document chronicles the external donor assistance funding in terms of commitment, disbursement, and in-country expenditures and the timing of achievement of intervention coverage and health impact.
Prof Rose Leke just like Dr Tougordi Alexis of the WHO Cameroon later on remarked, highlighted the aspect of Public-Private Partnership in terms of raising funds for the fight against malaria in her welcome speech. “Quite often advocates have encouraged Public-Private Partnership, but hardly do we see this done in Africa because it is painstaking and laborious to promote fundraising both nationally and internationally,” she declared.
Prof Rose Leke thus took African leaders to task when she pronounced that they should look back to Africa for funds by creating different mechanisms within structures such as the African Union, CEMAC and others, essentially to raise funds and solely depend on external aid.
The event took the form of a press conference with two PowerPoint presentations: the first focusing on the global perspective of malaria funding and resource utilization (CCAM manager, Dr Esther Tallah) and the second on the Cameroonian context that gives a bird’s eye view of Cameroon’s actual funding and impact on the use of resources over the past five or so years (NMCP Permanent Secretary, Dr Ndong à Bessong)
The presentations were closely followed by a question-and-answer session with close to 25 pressmen drawn from the various media outfits be they print, radio and television. Most of the questions centred on funds available for the procurement of ACTs and LLINs as cases of recurrent stock-outs are report in health centres and pharmacies. Others were very much concerned about the fact of how these funds are used judiciously to meet the increasing needs of the population, the need to finance operational research and address areas and/or components such as communication that are most often relegated to the background.
At the time when Cameroon is looking forward to start reaping the fruits of the malaria component of the Global Fund Round 9 that has brought about increased funds in the fight against malaria, stakeholders involved must borne in mind the following challenges. That donor commitments & disbursements and country expenditure on LLINs and ACTs still have year-to-year variability and that despite recent increase in malaria funding, current financing available is well short of need.
RBM partners are therefore called upon to urgently assure that global financial commitment to malaria increases and that funding must respond to variations in need between high burden countries (in Africa) and countries with lower burden (outside Africa). At the local level, the government vies in for a more concerted action and strategic partnership at all levels: public-public, public-private, and international plus community participation.
To down the PowerPoint presentations presented by CCAM manager, Dr Esther Tallah [1] & NMCP Permanent Secretary, Dr Ndong à Bessong [2], simply go to the following links:
- 1st Presentation: The Global Perspective
- 2nd Presentation: The Cameroonian Context
