The Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province Health Assistance (BEPHA)

The Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province Health Assistance (BEPHA)

The Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province Health Assistance (BEPHA) scheme was effectively started in 2007 in order to make health care more accessible and more affordable. It is a mutual health insurance scheme initiated by the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda as their contribution towards the alleviation of misery in our communities, with specific reference to the domain of health. It is based on the principle of solidarity in order to help the poorer members of the community who cannot afford to pay their health bills or have quality health care because of the worsening financial situation. BEPHA has the following objectives:

1. To assist people to have access to quality health care.
2. To encourage people to pre-save for their health and that of their family members and other relations.
3. To encourage people to seek early medical attention in order to safeguard against aggravated health conditions.
4. To check inflated health bills and avoid exploitation of patients.
5. To help relief families from straining financially on health problems and, thus, exhausting the family income meant for feeding, education, etc. on their sick ones.

BEPHA is open to all without distinction of race or creed. Ordinary members register in groups of, at least, four people with a registration fee of one thousand (1.000) francs CFA, and each member pays an annual premium of four thousand francs. When a member falls sick, seventy-five per cent (75%) of the hospital bill is paid by BEPHA and the member pays only twenty-five per cent (25%). The person must be treated in a health centre or hospital which has been accredited as a Provider by signing a contract with BEPHA. Attached to the scheme is a Medical Adviser who scrutinizes and approves the bills. The establishment of the scheme has been supported by MISEREOR, the German Bishops’ Conference Commission for the Fight against Hunger and Sickness, which has sponsored our technical advisers.

Each Diocese of the Province has a Coordinator, a Manager and a Medical Adviser. At the level of the Province, there is a Coordinator and a Medical Adviser. The Provincial Coordination Office is in Bamenda.

In recent years, the aid from MISEREOR has been stopped. Hence, the scheme has to fend for itself, and that is a great difficulty at hand, given that, as it currently stands, the scheme cannot sustain itself.