Cameroon needs new donors after US cancels HIV funds
US aid has been critical in halting the spread of HIV in Cameroon
By Steeves Winner
Faced with the suspension of US funds for HIV/AIDS prevention and care, Cameroon‘s Minister of Public Health Dr. Manaouda Malachie has announced a plan to ensure the continuity of care and support activities, including the redeployment of existing resources and the search for alternative funding from other donors, such as the European Union or UN agencies.
The suspension of funds for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was announced in January as temporary, pending evaluation of whether it fits with American policies as envisioned by the new Donald Trump administration. Even if the flow of funds resumes, the repercussions on the health system and humanitarian actions are likely to be felt for a long time, which may require reorganization of national strategies to ensure the continuity of care and the resilience of the Cameroonian health system.
“The government has expeditiously conducted a comprehensive assessment of the direct and potential impact of this suspension on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs, and has identified short, medium and long-term mitigation actions to ensure the continuity of activities to combat the three diseases,” Malachie says.
Malachie says the government will take measures to mitigate the impact of this suspension while calling on health facilities to maintain their services. However, these assurances remain unclear on the financial and logistical level, and local NGOs are concerned about the country’s real capacity to absorb such a loss.
The suspension of American funding to Cameroon highlights the vulnerability of humanitarian aid and health systems to foreign political decisions. While emergency solutions are being developed, they remain insufficient to mitigate the long-term effects. This situation requires Cameroonian authorities and local NGOs to thoroughly rethink their financing and intervention model, otherwise thousands of lives will be put at risk.
The 90-day suspension that comes shortly after the World Health Organization released in a report documenting 3,220 new cases of HIV/AIDS recorded in Cameroon in 2024. The staff associated with these projects have been placed on technical unemployment for 6 months. As for patients, they are in anguish, although the Cameroonian government has promised to continue to provide free medication.
Steeves Winner, the author of this article, is a Cameroonian journalist who writes under a pseudonym. Contact him at steeves.w@yahoo.com.
