By Boris Esono Nwenfor
YAOUNDE, PAV – The Nkafu Policy Institute has called for stronger inter-ministerial collaboration and complementary health financing reforms to expand private health insurance and accelerate Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Cameroon.
The call was made by the Deputy Director of the Nkafu Policy Institute, Dr Julienne Mesumbe, at the close of three Operational Working Group (OWG) sessions held on July 16, 2026, at Mansel Hotel in Yaoundé.
The 8th, 9th and 10th Operational Working Groups brought together researchers, health experts, and other stakeholders to examine practical solutions for strengthening private health insurance through evidence-based policy recommendations.
Speaking to Pan African Visions after the deliberations, Dr Mesumbe described the discussions as “interesting and impactful,” saying that they focused on some of the most pressing challenges facing health financing in Cameroon.
“We are at the end of the second series of Operational Working Groups in the framework of expanding private health insurance in Cameroon,” she said. “Today’s sessions have been very interesting and impactful because we have been looking at key pillars of private health insurance in Cameroon.”
Addressing Coverage Gaps
Dr Mesumbe explained that one of the key discussions centred on expanding insurance coverage for people living with chronic diseases and disabilities, groups that are often excluded from conventional insurance packages because of the high cost of treatment.
Participants examined how the World Health Organisation’s PEN-Plus framework could serve as a practical solution for integrating chronic disease care into private health insurance schemes.
“We started by looking at private health insurance for people living with chronic conditions, which has already been identified as a major challenge when it comes to access to private health insurance,” she explained.
“We explored the WHO PEN-Plus framework as an opportunity to address this challenge because people suffering from chronic diseases are usually excluded from many health insurance packages.”
The discussions emphasized how standardised treatment protocols, improved patient monitoring and strengthened district hospital services under the PEN-Plus approach could reduce treatment costs while giving insurers greater confidence to cover chronic illnesses.
The second major theme focused on Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) and how successful grassroots health financing models can help strengthen the implementation of Universal Health Coverage.
According to Dr Mesumbe, community insurance schemes have demonstrated that local populations can successfully organise themselves to finance healthcare when appropriate governance and trust mechanisms are in place.
“We later moved to looking at the community model of health insurance because there are success stories from communities,” she said adding that “We explored how a modern health insurance system could leverage these successes to deliver a more comprehensive health insurance package.”
Private Insurance and UHC Are Complementary
One of the strongest messages emerging from the three sessions, according to Dr Mesumbe, is that private health insurance should not be viewed as competing with Universal Health Coverage but rather as an important complement to it.
“Private health insurance is not replacing Universal Health Coverage, nor is it a duplicate,” she stressed. “They are complementary. As the country continues implementing Universal Health Coverage, private health insurance should also be strengthened so that the two systems work together to ensure better health coverage for the Cameroonian population.”
Participants noted that combining public and private financing mechanisms could significantly reduce the country’s heavy dependence on out-of-pocket healthcare payments while expanding access to quality medical services.
Dr Mesumbe also emphasised that health financing reforms require collaboration well beyond the health sector. She observed that while health insurance is often viewed as the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Public Health, several other government institutions have critical roles to play in creating a sustainable financing system.
“Unlike what people usually think, health insurance is not just a Ministry of Health issue,” she said. “There are other ministries that are supposed to play their role to ensure that the system is delivered consistently across the population and across all regions.”
Roadmap for Policy Action
With the technical discussions completed, the Nkafu Policy Institute now plans to translate the recommendations into a practical roadmap for policymakers. Dr Mesumbe said the Institute will continue working closely with the Ministry of Public Health while expanding engagement with other government ministries and institutions.
“Our next step is to actively engage not only the Ministry of Health, with whom we have been working very closely, but also the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Social Security,” she said.
“We want to disseminate the findings from all the Operational Working Groups and communicate a proposed roadmap that builds on our research and helps these ministries act in a coordinated manner to improve private health insurance in Cameroon.”
The three Operational Working Groups form part of the Nkafu Policy Institute’s broader efforts to generate evidence-based policy solutions that strengthen health financing systems and improve access to affordable healthcare for all Cameroonians.
Through collaboration with government institutions, development partners and private sector actors, the Institute hopes the recommendations will contribute to building a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient health insurance system capable of supporting the country’s Universal Health Coverage agenda.
