Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
International Journal for Equity in Health
Published in: International Journal for Equity in Health 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research

Cameroon public health sector: shortage and inequalities in geographic distribution of health personnel

Authors: Tinyami Erick Tandi, YongMin Cho, Aba Jean-Cluade Akam, Chick Ofilia Afoh, Seung Hun Ryu, Min Seok Choi, KyungHee Kim, Jae Wook Choi

Published in: International Journal for Equity in Health | Issue 1/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Introduction

Cameroon is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having a critical shortage of health personnel. This is further complicated by the geographic distributional inequalities of the national health workforce. This shortfall impedes Cameroons’ progress of improving the human resources for health (HRH) to meet up with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. However, it is unknown whether the health workforce of Cameroon is distributed equally across geographic regions. Additionally, indicators other than population levels have not been used to measure health care needs. This study aimed to assess the adequacy, evenness of distribution and challenges faced by the health workforce across the different regions of Cameroon.

Methods

National health personnel availability and distribution were assessed by use of end-of-year census data for 2011 obtained from the MoPH data base. The inequalities and distribution of the workforce were estimated using Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve and linear regression was used to determine the relation between health personnel density and selected health outcomes. Alternative indicators to determine health care needs were illustrated using concentration curves.

Results

Significant geographic inequalities in the availability of health workforce exist in Cameroon. Some regions have a higher number of physicians (per person) than others leading to poor health outcomes across the regions. 70 % of regions have a density of health personnel-to-population per 1,000 that is less than 1.5, implying acute shortage of health personnel. Poor working and living conditions, coupled with limited opportunities for career progress accounted for some documented 232 physicians and 205 nurses that migrated from the public sector. Significant distributional inequality was noticed when under-five infant mortality and malaria prevalence rate were used as indicators to measure health care needs.

Conclusion

Our results show an absolute shortage of public health personnel in Cameroon that is further complicated by the geographic distributional inequalities across the regions of the nation. Cameroon aims to achieve universal health coverage by 2035; to realize this objective, policies targeting training, recruitment, retention and effective deployment of motivated and supported health workforce as well as the development and improvement of health infrastructures remain the major challenge.
Literature
1.
World Health Organization. The world health report: 2006: working together for health. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2006.
2.
Joint Learning Initiative. Human resources for health: overcoming the crisis. Cambridge: MA: Global Equity Initiative; 2004.
3.
Global health work force. Health workers for all and all for health workers: The human resource for health crisis, Geneva; 2013.
4.
Mubashar S. Trained health workers: A key to MDGs. Geneva, Switzerland. 2008.
5.
6.
Amani A. The health workers crises in Cameroon. Health. 2010;8:6.
7.
Fongwa Marie N. International health care perspectives: the Cameroon example. J Transcult Nurs. 2002;13(4):325–30.CrossRefPubMed
8.
9.
Hagopian A, Ofosu A, Fatusi A, Biritwum R, Essel A, Hart LG, et al. The flight of physicians from West Africa: views of African physicians and implications for policy. Soc Sci Med. 2005;61(8):1750–60.CrossRefPubMed
10.
USAID. Bureau for Africa, office of sustainable development. The Health Sector Human Resource Crisis in Africa: An Issues Paper. 2003.
11.
Ministry of Public Health Cameroon. Department of Human Resource. General census report of health personnel. Yaounde, 2012.
12.
13.
BUCREP. La population du Cameroun. Cameroon: Bureau Central des Recensements et Etudes de population, Yaounde; 2010.
14.
15.
Theodorakis PN, Mantzavinis GD, Rrumbullaku L, Lionis C, Trell E. Measuring health inequalities in Albania: a focus on the distribution of general practitioners. Hum Resour Health. 2006;4(1):5.CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
16.
Gravelle H, Sutton M. Inequality in the geographical distribution of general practitioners in England and Wales 1974-1995. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2001;6(1):6–13.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Johnston G, Wilkinson D. Increasingly inequitable distribution of general practitioners in Australia, 1986–96. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2001;25(1):66–70.CrossRefPubMed
18.
National Institute for Statistics Cameroon. The national health profile. Yaounde; 2011.
19.
Policy brief on scaling up malaria control interventions in Cameroon. Centre for the development of best practices in health, WHO, Geneva .2010. [http://​www.​cdbph.​org/​]. Accessed 23.03.2014).
20.
Antonio-Nkondjio C, Defo-Talom B, Tagne-Fotso R, Tene-Fossog B, Ndo C, Lehman LG, et al. High mosquito burden and malaria transmission in a district of the city of Douala, Cameroon. BMC Infect Dis. 2012;12(1):275.CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
21.
Bernhard L. The state of the health workforce in Sub-Saharan Africa: evidence of crisis and analysis of contributing factors. Africa Region Human Development Working Paper Series. 2004;7(1):15–45.
22.
Ngufor G. Public service reforms and their impact on health sector personnel in Cameroon. In: Impact of public service reforms on health personnel. Geneva: ILO & WHO; 1999.
23.
Ministry of Public Health Cameroon. National policies on human resources for health, Yaounde, Cameroon. 2011
24.
25.
Wagstaff A. Socioeconomic inequalities in child mortality: comparisons across nine developing countries. Bull World Health Organ. 2000;78.1(1):19–29.
26.
Wagstaff A, Naoke W. Socioeconomic inequalities in child malnutrition in the developing world. World Bank Policy Res Working Paper. 1999;2:2–13.
27.
Anand S, Bärnighausen T. Human resources and health outcomes: cross-country econometric study. Lancet. 2004;364(9445):1603–9.CrossRefPubMed
28.
Anand S, Bärnighausen T. Health workers and vaccination coverage in developing countries: an econometric analysis. Lancet. 2007;369(9569):1277–85.CrossRefPubMed
29.
Awases M, Gbary A, Nyoni J, Chatora R. Migration of health professionals in six countries: a synthesis report. World Health Organization. 2004;65:38–42.
30.
Abena Obama MTS, Nko’o A, Afane Ze E. La migration du personnel de la santé qualifié dans la region Afrique: Le cas du Cameroun. Health Sci Dis. 2003;4:22–7.
31.
McCourt W, Awases M. Addressing the human resources crisis: a case study of the Namibian health service. Hum Resour Health. 2007;5.1:1.CrossRef
32.
Ministry of Public Health Cameroon, 2010. Stratégie de Coopération de L’oms avec les Pays 2010-2015. WHO, Regional Office for Africa. 2010, 12: 5-13
33.
Lodenstein E, Dao D. Devolution and human resources in primary healthcare in rural Mali. Hum Resour Health. 2011;8.9:15.CrossRef
34.
Teklehaimanot HD, Teklehaimanot A. Human resource development for a community-based health extension program: a case study from Ethiopia. Hum Resour Health. 2013;11.1:39.CrossRef
35.
Ferrinho P, Siziya S, Goma F, Dussault G. The human resource for health situation in Zambia: deficit and maldistribution. Hum Resour Health. 2011;9(1):30.CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
36.
World Health Organization. Increasing access to health workers in remote and rural areas through improved retention: global policy recommendations. Geneva: WHO; 2010.
Metadata
Title
Cameroon public health sector: shortage and inequalities in geographic distribution of health personnel
Authors
Tinyami Erick Tandi
YongMin Cho
Aba Jean-Cluade Akam
Chick Ofilia Afoh
Seung Hun Ryu
Min Seok Choi
KyungHee Kim
Jae Wook Choi
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
International Journal for Equity in Health / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1475-9276
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-015-0172-0

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

International Journal for Equity in Health 1/2015 Go to the issue

Research

Unemployment and health selection in diverging economic conditions: Compositional changes? Evidence from 28 European countries

Research

Understanding the impact of the economic crisis on child health: the case of Spain

Research

Integrating spatial technology into studying the generational differences of migrants’ health protection status in urban China

Research

Influence of social experiences in shaping perceptions of the Ebola virus among African residents of Hong Kong during the 2014 outbreak: a qualitative study

Research

Colon cancer care and survival: income and insurance are more predictive in the USA, community primary care physician supply more so in Canada

Research

Towards universal health coverage for reproductive health services in Ethiopia: two policy recommendations