CI-NEWS

Improving health sector: Pharmaceutical industry, digital health technology examined.

2020-05-12

No: 495

Improving health sector: Pharmaceutical industry, digital health technology examined.

Below is the press release following the Cabinet Meeting of April 30, 2020.

“The Prime Minister, Head of Government, H.E. Joseph DION NGUTE, this Thursday 30 April 1020 at 10 a.m. chaired this month’s Cabinet Meeting at the Auditorium of the Prime Minister’s Office. The meeting was attended by Ministers of State, Ministers, and Ministers Delegate.

Three items featured on the agenda:

Statement by the Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development on the pharmaceutical industry in Cameroon;
Statement by the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications on the development of digital technology in the health sector in Cameroon;
A report by the Minister of Public Health on the evolution of the COVID-19 in Cameroon.

Speaking after the introductory statement of the Head of Government, the Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development first presented the situation of the pharmaceutical industry in Cameroon before outlining constraints limiting its expansion and prospects for the development of this sector. Regarding the situation, the minister indicated that the local pharmaceutical industry is still at the embryonic stage. To date, Cameroon has about fifteen industrial manufacturing units for medical consumables and medicines in liquid, dry and injectable form. However, the national production of essential medicines covers at least 5% of domestic demand, with an estimated monetary value of CFAF 200 billion on an annual average basis, in a sector that is almost dominated by imports.

The most significant constraints limiting the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Cameroon include the high costs of production factors, the massive and fraudulent importation of medicines, inadequate equipment and difficulties in accessing financing required to boost a real local pharmaceutical industry.

With regard to prospects, the Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development revealed that Government’s strategy in this domain should focus on two areas. The first area concerns improving the competitiveness of the pharmaceutical industry especially by building capacities and reducing the tax burden of existing industrial units and strengthening the financial capacities of the National Supply Center for Drugs and Essential Medical Consumables (CENAME). The second area focuses on densifying and diversifying the local pharmaceutical industry, by promoting timber and non-timber resources in the production of medicines.

Taking the floor after this, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications recalled the challenges of digital technology in the health sector and ongoing initiatives in this domain in Cameroon before making proposals to address constraints to the development of digital tools in the health sector.

With regard to challenges, the Minister indicated that the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) helps to increase the efficiency of health systems and reduce the cost of accessing medical services. However, the level of integration of ICTs into health practices in Cameroon is still very low, owing to the absence of a local industry for the development of digital content and the porosity of the telecommunication network infrastructure.

To address these shortcomings, Government has a 2020-2024 Digital Health Strategy Plan to support ongoing initiatives such as the National Emergency Telecommunications Network project. Moreover, several other ambitious projects are being developed by startups in the telehealth area such as online consultation of a doctor or medicines available in pharmacies and the analysis of parameters in the area of cardiology. While mentioning constraints limiting the establishment of an ICT policy for the health sector, the Minister of Telecommunications insisted on the unavailability of electricity and Internet, inadequate local applications and digital terminals, the complexity of health services and confidentiality issues related to the use of hospital information systems. To increase the level of integration of ICTs into health practices in Cameroon, the Minister proposed among others, the establishment of a Digital Economy Development Centre for the production of made-in-Cameroon digital solutions and applications as well as the high scale interconnection of health facilities to the infrastructure.

The Meeting finally followed the report of the Minister of Public Health on the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic in Cameroon. The report indicated that as at 30 April 2020, Cameroon has recorded 1 799 confirmed cases, 934 recovered and 43 deaths. The health response mechanism has been greatly improved, especially with the setting up of Specialized Centres for the treatment of Covid-19 patients and the decentralization of the means of action. There are plans to strengthen epidemiological and biological surveillance, by increasing diagnostic capabilities for early detection and rapid care that will help to reduce death and improve the rate of recovery. At the end of discussions that followed these statements, the Prime Minister instructed the Minister in charge of Industry to submit an action matrix for the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Cameroon, with an implementation calendar and potential sources of financing. He instructed the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications to work in collaboration with the Minister of Public Health to ensure the consistency of the strategy to speed up the development of access infrastructure, with a digital health strategic plan. Concerning the fight against the Covid-19, the Head of Government instructed the Minister of Public Health to pursue initiatives aimed at optimizing conditions for the care of Covid-19 patients, through the commissioning of Specialized Centres for the treatment of patients.

The Meeting was adjourned at 12:00 pm.”

Yaounde, 30 April 2020

(s) FOUDA SéraphinMagloire

Secretary General,

Prime Minister’s Office

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Improving health sector: Pharmaceutical industry, digital health technology examined.