By Noela EBOB BISONG
The Global Fund has requested Cameroon to reimburse almost FCFA 1billion within the next two months following a subsidy implemented by the National Programme for the Fight against Malaria (PNLP). Global Fund sent a correspondence to that effect to Cameroon’s ministry of Public Health, last June 11, 2024.
According to reports, the amount, FCFA 852 million has been categorised as “potentially non-component spending”, which the Fund now requires Cameroon to justify or reimburse “in whole” before August 11, 2024.
The said funds concerns 668 million 914 thousand FCFA (1,095,055.86 USD) for health products linked to the fight against malaria, and 183 million 617 thousand FCFA (300,592.83 USD) for the costs of managing the supply and storage of these products at the National Procurement Centre for Essential Drugs and Medical Devices (CENAME) and in five of the ten Regional Funds for the Promotion of Health in Cameroon.
Manaouda Malachie
“After this period, these expenses will be classified as non-conformity and will be the subject of a cover letter requesting total reimbursement”, warns Noah Zahrobsky, Senior Fund Portfolio Manager at The Global Fund.
Noah Zahrobsky specifies that if the Ministry of Public Health (Minsanté) chooses to reimburse these funds, they “cannot come from funding disbursed by the Global Fund within the framework of a past, present or future grant agreement between the Global Fund and the State of the Republic of Cameroon”.
This comes at a time when Cameroon’s Public Health boss, Manaouda Malachie says malaria treatment in the country remains inadequate due to insufficient funding. He was speaking last June 12 in Yaounde, during a special parliamentary session on malaria. Manaouda reiterated that despite progress in the fight, population coverage for prevention and treatment remains inadequate due to insufficient funding.
The country’s ministry of Public Health has revealed that Cameroon is in need of at least FCFA 186 billion to fuel its fight against malaria. The funding is in line with its 6th National Strategic Plan for Malaria Control for 2024-2028.
Reports from the ministry reveal that of the FCFA 336.95 billion needed for the planned interventions, only FCFA 149.98 billion had been raised by April 2024, leaving a financial gap of more than FCFA 186 billion (55%) of the total amount.
During the commemoration of World Malaria Day recently, Minister Manaouda Malachie said there is need to secure the needed funds in the malaria programme.
According to reports, Cameroon has been struggling in the fight against malaria, being significantly challenged in securing the required funding. For instance, in the previous Strategic Plan period (2021-2023), Cameroon was only able to mobilise FCFA 132 billion of the FCFA 232 billion needed, resulting in a deficit of FCFA 100 billion. Minister Malachie has thus emphasised the urgent need to close this gap to ensure equitable and universal access to malaria prevention and treatment interventions.