47 vehicles amongst other materials handed to the Public Health Minister on December 22, 2021 in Yaounde by UNICEF will improve the country’s health platform during the AFCON.
Cameroon, that will be hosting the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soon, has just experienced a breath of fresh air in its health system with the injection of some 47 vehicles amongst other materials. The Deputy Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Cameroon, Arséne Azandossessi symbolically handed the keys to the Minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie during a ceremony organised on December 22, 2021 at the Ministry of Public Health in Yaounde.
The materials including vehicles, motorcycles, Point-of-Care equipment, Computer equipment, rapid HIV tests kits hygiene and protection equipment (masks, gels, gloves etc) fall within the framework of the project for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and the care of HIV in Children and Adolescents (PETVISIDAME). It is financed by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and technically supported by UNICEF.
The vehicles expected to be distributed to the central, regional and district levels, as per the Minister of Public Health, will first of all be utilized for rapid health intervention during the AFCON which is at the corner and very important for the moment. He explained that this justifies the reason why posters inscribed on it “Safe CAN TotalEnergies Cameroon 2021” have been pasted in some of the vehicles.
An image of a person putting on a yellow facemask, a green t-shirt with a ball in his hand is equally on the poster. “It is to ensure the security of players, delegations coming for the competition as well as our population,” the Minister said. He equally expressed the gratitude of government to the different partners of the project.
“It has a strong health system strengthening component, essential to guarantee the sustainability of interventions and ensure the resilience of the health system in the face of other health challenges encountered by the population.”, Arsène Azandossessi said. At the end, stakeholders had a guided tour to see some of the vehicles that were packed at the premises of the Ministry of Public Health.
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