FCFA 1bn health insurance for ministers causes stir

An over 1 billion CFA contract meant to provide emergency health insurance to government Ministers and members of their families has caused a stir in the country as access to healthcare remains a challenge to the masses.

Cameroon has a Doctor-to-patient ratio of 2:1000, with a pitiable public health system, despite being the second Sub-Saharan country that spends more on healthcare after South Africa, according to reports.

In a release signed March 20 this year by Abba Saddou, Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Public Contracts, the Ministers’ healthcare contract award was given to Morocan Insurer, Hassam Insurance at the amount of CFA 1,058,191,386. The contract runs for a three years period.

Yesterday May 27, the French language bi-weekly, Diapason, states that the project to provide emergency health coverage for government Ministers which has been until recently kept in the drawers has been revisited following the abrupt death of late Francoise Foning who until her demise was Mayor of Douala V, just when government was about to get her evacuated to Europe for medical treatment last February.

The paper further states that government is worried at the rate of cabinet ministers whose health has failed them of recent, citing the case of Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo of External Relations who was evacuated to Europe for medical attention last May 20 following a malaise.

His case comes after that of Fame Ndongo of Higher Education, Peter Agbor Tabi of the General Secretariat at the Presidency, Louis Bapes Bapes of Secondary Education in 2014 and Prime Minister, Philemon Yang who had earlier spent a month in Europe for medical attention.

University Professor and Sociologist, Claude Abbeh is quoted by the newspaper as saying that this act by government is provocative and discriminative in a country where the common man cannot pay for basic healthcare facilities.

In 2011, the Cameroon government in collaboration with the country’s social insurance fund (CNPS) and the Swiss government initiated an insurance coverage for all Cameroonians where citizens were going to pay a monthly premium of CFA100 to benefit free medical treatment when sick. But the project ended on paper.