Pervasive corruption in Cameroon’s public health system has forced citizens to pay bribes for health services that should be free under the law and has ultimately left millions of at-risk adults and children without access to basic health services. To address this challenge, TCGI organized a National Healthcare Access Coalition to review complaints and reports of corruption, held trainings for healthcare providers on healthcare access policies, and conducted an awareness campaign to raise citizens’ awareness about their right to basic healthcare services.
Challenge
Pervasive corruption in Cameroon’s public health system has left millions of at-risk adults and children without access to basic health services. With little knowledge of their fundamental rights and a lack of effective regulatory enforcement within the courts, many Cameroonians have been forced to pay bribes to medical providers for free health services. Thus, TGCI seeks to address three major challenges to healthcare access in Cameroon:
- How can the decades old practice of government corruption in the healthcare system be reversed? How can government ministers and senior staff be encouraged to take the lead in promoting polices of open access to healthcare throughout the country?
- How can doctors and nurses working in public healthcare facilities be made aware of Cameroon’s open access healthcare policies and encouraged to disengage from corrupt practices?
- How can ordinary citizens, many of who have become skeptical towards the government and its healthcare policies be encouraged to change their behavior, to assert their right to access to free healthcare and to know what services should be made available to them, and how to access these services?
Program Summary
To address the issue of corruption in Cameroon’s public health system, TGCI will implement four activities:
- Organize a National Healthcare Access Coalition GOs that will establish a credible stakeholder organization that can support the implementation of government healthcare access policies, review any consumer complaints regarding corruption or violation of fundamental rights, refer such complaints to regulatory authorities, and ensure that they are dealt with in a fair and timely manner
- Conduct awareness raising and regulatory training of public healthcare providers with the aim of increasing awareness about government healthcare access policies and the penalties providers will face if they engage in corrupt practices
- Conduct a consumer social marketing campaign aimed at raising awareness among consumers about their rights to basic healthcare services and how they can lodge complaints or claims if and when their rights are violated
- Monitor and evaluate changes in provider practices, consumer behavior, and the incidence of corruption and fundament rights violations in the public health care system
Impact
TGCI’s projects in Yaoundé and Douala will have a greatly impact 5 factor areas: Absence of Corruption, Fundamental Rights, Open Government, Regulatory Enforcement, and Civil Justice. As a result, Cameroonians will see a decrease in incidences of corruption and fundamental rights violations related to access to basic healthcare services in public hospitals and clinics. Additionally, local communities will have greater and increased access to basic healthcare services in public hospitals and clinics.
Partners
The Global Citizen’s Initiative (TGCI) will partner with Developing Africa in the implementation, supervision, and support of its activities and programs in Cameroon.