Francis Ateba Ndongo^1-3*, Jean Rodrigue Abe¹, Edwige Christelle Naambow Anaba¹, Altine Fadimatou¹, Berthe Tchifam⁴, Justin Ndie³, Jean Pierre Yves Awono Noah⁴, Paul Olivier Koki Ndombo², Hélène Kamo¹, Zakari Yaou Alhadji⁵, Leopold Etoutoe Southy Wanko⁵, Anne Cécile Zoung-Kanyi Bissek^3,6, Fidèle Ntchapda¹, Jérôme Ateudjieu^3,7 and Moïse Adamou¹

¹University of Garoua, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Cameroon
²Centre Mère-enfant, Fondation Chantal Biya, Yaounde, Cameroon
³Ministry of Public Health, Yaounde, Cameroun
⁴Media Convergence Consulting Office, Yaounde, Cameroon
⁵North Regional Public Health Delegation in North Cameroon, Garoua, Cameroon
⁶University of Yaounde 1, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Yaounde,Cameroon
⁷University of Dschang, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Dschang, Cameroon

*Corresponding Author: Francis Ateba Ndongo, University of Garoua, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Cameroon.

Received: February 24, 2025; Published: March 07, 2025

Abstract

Background: Maternal and neonatal mortality, which is high in the North Cameroon region remains a public health problem.

Objective: This study aimed at assessing the impact of the “Chèque Santé” program on maternal and neonatal health in the rural and urban contexts of the North Cameroon region.

Design: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study over 4 consecutive years (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019) in the Garoua 1, Garoua 2 and Figuil health districts (HD) of the North Cameroon region. Pregnant women, mothers and newborns received in the health facilities of the said HD during the said 4 years were included. Trends in maternal and neonatal health indicators according to calendar years and study’s HD were assessed using paired two-tailed Chi-2 test.

Results: Between 2016 and 2019, respectively in Garoua 1 HD, Garoua 2 HD and Figuil HD, the values of maternal and neonatal health indicators had increased as follows: 17.40% to 30.00%, 29.00% to 37.80% and 19.20% to 49.30% (p < 0.05) of pregnant women actually attending at least one antenatal care visit, respectively; 10.50% to 23.00%, 23.40% to 30.70% and 9.70%% to 32.20% (p < 0.05) of pregnant women actually delivering in a maternity ward; 9.10% to 38.80%, 12.90% to 58.40% and 10.90% to 74.70% (p < 0.05) of mothers actually receiving at least once postnatal follow-up; 9.70% to 37.60%, 13.40% to 58.20% and 11.30% to 74.00% (p < 0.05) of newborns actually receiving at least once postnatal follow-up.

Conclusion: Following implementation of the “Chèque Santé” program, access to healthcare for pregnant women, mothers and newborns had improved in the North Cameroon region. However, the performance of maternal and neonatal health indicators remained sub-optimal. It is therefore necessary to explore the determinants of health service usage by pregnant women, mothers and newborns in a context of health care subsidies such as the “Chèque Santé” program.

Keywords: Maternal and Neonatal Health Indicators; Impact; “Chèque Santé” Program

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Citation

Citation: Francis Ateba Ndongo., et al. “Observational Approach for Assessing the Impact of a Subsidized Care-Based Program on Maternal and Neonatal Health in the North Cameroon Region". Acta Scientific Women's Health 7.4 (2025): 11-17.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Francis Ateba Ndongo., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.