Welcome to North West Regional Fund For Health Promotion (NWRFHP)
The North West Regional Fund for Health Promotion PIG is a public corporate dialogue structure set up by a constituent agreement of the state, the technical/financial partners, and the North West community on June 11, 2012 in line with law no. 2010/023 of December 2010 to define the status of Public Interest Groups in Cameroon.
Trusted by over six institutions
Our Vision
What we want?
To assist the Ministry of Public Health in provide sustainable quality health care for the population
Our mission
Why we exist?
Promoting access to quality health care for the population by improving the performance of the health system
Our core values
What we believe!
In order to continuously improve its services, the NWRFHP upholds 06 values and attitudes that shape and influence behaviour in the organisation.
Collaboration
- Improving and sustaining performance depend on everyone in the system as a team (team work).
Communication
- Effective communication between all levels; community.
Openness
- Transparent performance, monitoring and reporting of facts .
Respect
- The role of everyone engaged in improving performance is valued.
Partnership
- Partnership in providing access and equity to health care services for sustainable outcomes.
Outcome focused
- Performance based decision making for programmes and services.
Our Objectives
Objectives of NWRFHP - PIG
The main objective of the Fund is to promote quality health care for people in the North West Region. The Specific Objectives include the following:
Pharmaceutical products
- Ensure the selection, procurement, distribution and use of pharmaceutical products.
Assistance
- Assist the Ministry of Public Health of Cameroon in financing the functioning of health services.
Donations
- Donate whenever possible, pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and basic health equipment to charity bodies and communities afflicted by disasters within the Region.
Quality services
- Contribute to the reinforcement of the health system within the Region to assure quality of health services.
Resourcefulness
- Set up resource generating entities strictly in the health domain to reinforce the health system.
Promotions
- Strengthen health promotion, rehabilitative and preventive activities in the Region.
Community
- Ensure effective community participation in health activities in the Region.
Capacity building
- Support capacity building of health personnel and dialogue structures.
Management
Management of Health products
1. Management of Essential Medicines
Essential medicines (EMs), which satisfy the priority health care needs of the population, are backbone of health care and well-being of individuals and populations. However, its physical access was a big challenge particularly in rural communities in Cameroon. This was influenced by many interlinked factors such as the availability of medicines in the health care facilities, availability of sustainable financing and reliable health systems, rational selection and use of medicines, and affordable price. This is the raison d’être of setting up the NWRFHP PIG in 1987 as a revolving medicines program with a high participation of the population.
Its objective was to improve access to good quality and cost effective medicines, medical consumables and diagnostic materials at all levels of health care on the basis of health needs. Specifically, it was to make available 95% of medicines in the regional medical store and 90% available in all community pharmacies. In order to achieve its objectives the NWRFHP PIG had owned a regional medical store for all the community pharmacies of the 19 health districts and to independently organize its own activities such as investments, uninterrupted drug purchases and continuous community contribution.
On application, new communities are offered drug seed stock, safety measures for the community pharmacy locality and training. The local community has to provide a well-furnished locality, to select the community pharmacy attendant, and to elect the local Health Committee. In 1995 the NWRFHP PIG provided AND maintained a medicine supply system for an estimated 80% of the rural population and a good portion of the urban areas. Today, 217 community pharmacies are supplied from the regional medical store covering 90% of the population.
The NWRFHP PIG offers services not only to its community pharmacies but also to associated religious and charity institutions, improving pharmaceutical coverage in the region. This has contributed considerably to better quality of care in the North West region. On the one hand, essential drug programs have to assure the continuous availability of drugs, and efficient use of these drugs at the prescriber and consumer level on the other hand. To prevent medical and paramedical personnel from making therapeutic decisions on profit grounds, some guidelines have been developed. By 2017, the turnover of NWRFHP PIG has considerably and positively evolved and it has been able to make available 85% of medicines in the regional medical store and 90% available in all community pharmacies, kept expiry of medicines below 4% and continuously train health personnel on the rational use of medicines/laboratory reagents and medical consumables.
Now the number of items per prescription varies between 2 and 3. This shows that prescribers apply the principles of rational use of medicines. Medicines are dispensed only on presentation of a prescription issued by an authorized medical staff. These prescriptions must either be dispensed completely or referred back to the prescriber. Drugs are issued solely against cash payment. Thus, problems due to debts, incomplete therapy and subsequent self-medication are minimized. Strict adherence to these rules and regulations is accepted by the community as a means to assure the sustainability of their system.