Background: Access to free diagnoses and treatments has been shown to be a major determinant in malaria control. The Cameroonian government launched in February 2011 the exemption of the under-fives' simple malaria treatment policy. This study aimed at assessing the main effect of the policy on services utilization.
Faith-based health professions schools contribute to the training of staff in many Sub-Saharan African countries. Yet little is known about these actors, their role in the health system, potential comparative advantages and challenges faced. This is a qualitative study drawing on 24 qualitative interviews and 3 focus group discussions. Participants included faith-based health professions schools, staff at faith-based health professions schools, Ministry of Health officials and donors. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings reveal that understanding of faith-based health professions schools held by donors and the Ministry of Health rest on a set of assumptions rather than evidence-backed knowledge and that knowledge on key aspects is missing (not least on the market share of such actors). This suggests that collaboration with and oversight of these non-state schools is limited, raising questions about the balance of state regulation and control in the public-private mix for training health workers. Linked to this weak oversight, the findings also raise concerns over a number of problematic activities at these schools, unaccredited training programmes and the presence of missionary volunteers whose presence and actions are rarely interrogated.
Over the past decade, donors have engaged faith-based organisations (FBOs) in health system reforms and health programmes in many sub-Saharan African countries, including Cameroon. Little knowledge is available concerning the types of FBOs that exist in the health sector in Cameroon. This article describes the complex landscape of Christian FBOs operating in Cameroon's health sector and provides an explanation for that diversity. It reflects on the implications of the use of the "FBO" acronym in Cameroon and argues that the FBO typology discussion is still relevant.
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