81313320-International Technical Assistance for the digitization (openIMIS) of the Health Voucher (Chèque Santé) in Cameroon

Despite the efforts and success of the past years, the maternal mortality rate remains high (782 deaths per 100,000 live births to 406 between 2011 and 2018) in Cameroon. The proportion of professionally attended births is 69 per cent nationally, the fertility rate is 4.5 children per woman, with considerable regional differences. Nearly one in four women between the ages of 15 and 19 have already become pregnant or given birth to a live child. 23% of all women in couples have unmet needs for family planning methods. Domestic violence is 23%. In 2018, 22% of women aged 15 to 49 reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence (GBV) from a current or former intimate partner in the past 12 months. In general, the population's contribution to health care is 70% of the population (out of pocket payments), and only 26% of the population benefits of a health insurance. With a focus on health system strengthening in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), Pro-PASSaR II (Project-Promotion of Actions for a Resilient Health System) is part of the BMZ's core thematic strategy "Health, Social Protection, Population Policy" (2023). It contributes to the objective of Action Area 3 "Population Policy; sexual and reproductive health and rights," improve access to reproductive health services (antenatal care, safe delivery, newborn health) and family planning. Pro-PASSaR II supports the Cameroonian Ministry of Health in the implementation of the first phase of universal health coverage (UHC). It thus contributes to action area 2 "Social security" of the BMZ's core thematic strategy. UHC includes the care of pregnant women, children and people living with HIV and is therefore closely linked to sexual, reproductive health and rights -SRHR and BMZ Action Area 3. In line with supporting the care of pregnant women within the UHC framework, the Pro-PASSaR II project is funded by BMZ and co-funded by AFD (Agence Française de Développement). Within that framework, GIZ collaborates with the Ministry of Health through a Technical assistance that aims at sustaining, consolidating and extending the health voucher mechanism in the 05 intervention regions of Chèque Santé (East, South, North, Far North and Adamaoua). This extension will be realized using OpenIMIS, a digital tool that aims at contributing to financial transparency and the management of the health voucher. Furthermore, it is in line with the BMZ digitalization strategy and the GIZ digital transformation approach. The Health Voucher (Chèque Santé in French) is a mechanism to support the demand for care, making it possible to reduce financial barriers to access to obstetric and neonatal care on the one hand and to improve the quality of care through a purchasing system subsidized services (third party payment) on the other hand. It also contributes to the reduction of maternal mortality. The Health voucher sold to pregnant women gives the right to a set of services linked to the monitoring of pregnancy, childbirth and the health of the child (the first 42 days of life) in a network of accredited health facilities (HF).