Identifying Opportunities for Global Surgery in Cameroon: An Analysis of Existing Health Policies and Events

Abstract Aim analyze existing national health policies and events in Cameroon to identify opportunities for surgery, obstetrics, trauma, and anesthesia (SOTA) policies. Method We searched the Cameroonian Ministry of Health’s health policy database to identify past and current policies. Next, the policies were retrieved and screened for mentions of SOTA-related interventions using relevant keywords in French and English and analyzed using the ‘eight-fold path’ framework for public policy analysis. Results We identified 136 policies and events and excluded 16 duplicates. The health policies and events included were implemented between 1967 and 2021. Fifty-nine policies and events (49.2%) mentioned SOTA care: Governance (n = 25), infrastructure (n = 21), service delivery (n = 11), workforce (n = 11), information management (n = 10), and funding (n = 8). Most policies and events focused on maternal and neonatal health, followed by anesthesia, ophthalmologic surgery, and trauma. Nineteen (32.2%) health policies and events focused on Bellwether surgical procedures. National, multinational civil society organizations and private stakeholders supported these policies and events, and the Cameroonian Ministry of Public Health was the largest funder. Conclusions Most Cameroonian SOTA-related policies and events focus on maternal and neonatal care, and health financing is the health system component with the least policies and events. Future SOTA policies should build on existing strengths while improving neglected areas, thus attaining shared global and national goals by 2030.