By Ayang Macdonald – 18 September 2020
Original Source: https://iafrikan.com/2020/09/18/cameroons-universal-health-coverage-project-and-the-place-of-technology/
Sep 18, 2020
On 27 August 2020, the government of Cameroon sealed a deal with the country subsidiary of a South Korean company known as New Tech Management Cameroon SA to build and put into use a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) system in the country. The deal was signed between the country’s Health Minister, Dr. Malachie Manaouda, and the Director-General of the firm that will execute the project, Jacquéline Mekongo, in the presence of Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute.
According to the terms of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement, Santé Universelle Cameroun (SUCAM) – the body that will directly be charged with implementing the project – will build, exploit and maintain the Universal Health Coverage mechanism for 17 years before bequeathing it to the government of Cameroon.
Already, the project has been touted as a laudable step in efforts to render healthcare more accessible and affordable in a country where most of its citizens die due to a lack of easy access to healthcare services. Although the realization of the project is yet to effectively take off because some paperwork is still being finalized, it is understood that digital technology will no doubt play a significant role in the building and operationalization of the project.
