MUTUAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS AND THE HEALTH STATUS OF POPULATIONS IN CAMEROON: A SURVEY CONDUCTED IN THE CENTER REGION TO ESTIMATE THE EFFECT OF ACCESSION TO THE MUTUAL ON HEALTH STATUS REPORTED

Abstract

In Cameroon, the main socio-health indicators suggest that the health of populations is relatively poor, especially for the low income households. To cope with this situation, the number of mutual health organizations (MHO) is increasing. The objective of this paper is to study the effect of the accession of a person to an MHO on its health status. The main results of our econometric estimates show that joining a MHO increases by about 9% the probability that a person self-reports being in a good health. This empirical analysis is inconsistent with the results of some studies. The originality of this article is to provide a quantitative analysis of the effect of MHO on health of people in this country. Thus, the results of our study suggest that policies for the promotion and development of MHO in Cameroon could reduce financial barriers to access to care and improving the health of people excluded from the formal security system social.