Resource Type: Report
Authors: Jenna Wright, Karishmah Bhuwanee, Ffyona Patel, Jeanna Holtz, Thierry van Bastelaer, Rena Eichler
Published: January 2017

Resource Description: Recognizing that a healthy population promotes economic development, resilience, and strength, many governments have started pursuing a universal health coverage (UHC) agenda. The international community, national governments, and private organizations and individuals are converging on the principle that universal access to family planning is a goal worthy of increased financial investment. Improved access to family planning is also important for a country’s economic development, and it helps countries improve key population health outcomes for mothers, newborns, and children.

The reality of limited resources for health care has brought increased scrutiny of how health care is financed. To reach UHC, governments are looking to pursue more and better spending mechanisms for health care and to promote financial protection for households. While there is no single or perfect model for financing health care, the health policy community can draw on international experience to identify best practices.

Health financing is a core building block of a health system and a key enabler of progress toward universal health coverage and universal access to family planning. Governments often use a plurality of health financing mechanisms to advance toward universal health coverage. In Chapter 1, we presented trends across the health financing landscape across fifteen countries in multiple regions and drew lessons that may be applicable in Cameroon and other West African countries. This chapter describes the health financing landscape in Cameroon and identifies opportunities where the government and other stakeholders can develop, strengthen, and expand their health financing mechanisms to progress toward universal health coverage and access to family planning.