Ministry of Public Health, Cameroon
Cameroon’s government has recently adopted a Health Sector Strategy for the post-2015 era. The strategy promotes a vision shared by 3ie and its members, namely, that evidence-based policies and other decision making contribute to higher quality services, better outcomes, and more efficient resource allocation. Following a mid-term evaluation of the National Health Sector Strategic Plan, Cameroon has been planning to build a well-functioning National Health Information System that will integrate data collection, analysis, and reporting, as well as promote the use of health information and knowledge to influence decision making for programmes, policies, and research. The system will mark a shift in the Ministry from a paper-based to electronic reporting system and help build a culture of impact evaluation at all levels of the health system.
Overview of 3ie engagement
The Ministry of Public Health is a relatively new 3ie member, having joined in 2015. As such, the Ministry has not yet engaged heavily with 3ie but looks forward to doing so in the coming years. The Ministry is particularly interested in workshops to increase awareness and understanding among policy makers about the importance of rigorous evidence for policy making, as well as impact evaluation design clinics and other capacity-building workshops for staff. The Ministry is also interested in exploring potential opportunities for a policy window in Cameroon.
Examples of engagement
- 3ie services: Anna Heard, Senior Evaluation Specialist – HIV/AIDS and Eric Djimeu, Evaluation Specialist – HIV/AIDS presented an Impact Evaluation training to 80 Ministry of Public Health staff in February, 2016.
It is very impressive to see how techniques usually used in clinical trials can help identifying programs making impacts. Impact evaluation is a formidable tool for efficient resources allocation in poor settings.