Cameroon / Health Insurance

The scheme in context

The Bishops of the Bamenda Church Province launched the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Provincial Health Assistance (BEPHA) scheme on a pilot basis in 2008. BEPHA was designed as a solidarity-based ‘trouble fund’ in which members contribute financially and can draw upon support in times of need. Since its inception, BEPHA has covered the healthcare costs of close to 150,000 people in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon through a network of health facilities.

The German NGO MISEREOR provides financial support to BEPHA.

How the scheme uses openIMIS

In 2013, BEPHA Cameroon decided to customize IMIS, developed in Tanzania, to manage its insurance schemes in various dioceses. It received IMIS and its complete source code for customization through a bilateral agreement, including a no-cost license, from Swiss Development Cooperation. Swiss TPH has been supporting the system’s technical implementation by BEPHA including initial customization, system setup and user training.

Each of the five diocese-level schemes (across North West and South West regions) has teams that use the system for beneficiary enrollment and claims management. All data entry is currently done at the Diocesan office, and BEPHA agents are present at some health facilities to support client verification and claims processes.