CONSULTANT, LN

Consultant, LN - (4397). Location: Cameroon - CM (Primary) Office / Bureau: Mokolo/Far North Region. Program Description (Background): In 2025, project implementation at Minawao camp was significantly constrained by funding shortfalls, resulting in the prioritization of lifesaving activities. These constraints affected multiple sectors and contributed to the spontaneous movement of some refugee households out of the camp, as well as to nearby towns, in search of livelihood opportunities. Such population dynamics reduced coverage compared to initially planned targets. Despite these challenges, UNHCR and ECHO co-funding played a critical role in mitigating service gaps, particularly by sustaining access to secondary and tertiary care and ensuring continuity of essential health services. In parallel, strong engagement by government authorities, especially the Ministry of Public Health, allowed these financial constraints to be leveraged as an opportunity to advance the transition of Minawao CMA (Centre Medical d’Arrondissement) management to the MoH, through the Mokolo Health District, in line with national health system strengthening and sustainability objectives. In 2026, IMC will work in close coordination with UNHCR and other donors, including ECHO, to implement the action “Strengthening Health System Sustainability and Local Ownership at Minawao CMA.” This initiative will support the continued delivery of quality health and nutrition services while consolidating the progressive transfer of management and operational responsibilities to the Ministry of Public Health through the Mokolo Health District, thereby strengthening local ownership, financial sustainability, and long-term resilience of the health system serving both refugee and host populations. Objective: To ensure the continuity and quality of integrated health and nutrition services at Minawao CMA while progressively transferring managerial, technical, and financial competencies to the Ministry of Health, strengthening institutional capacity, safeguarding access for vulnerable populations, and promoting sustainable, government-led service delivery. Transition Toward Government-Led Management and Cost Recovery: In response to these constraints, stakeholders accelerated the transfer of management and administrative responsibilities of Minawao CMA to the Ministry of Public Health, represented locally by the Mokolo Health District. Preparatory work involving the Mayo-Tsanaga Divisional Office, Mokolo Health District, UNHCR, and IMC resulted in a jointly agreed roadmap, which is currently under implementation. A key milestone of this roadmap was the introduction of a cost-recovery mechanism for services at Minawao CMA. Initially planned for August 2025, implementation was postponed to November 2025 following consultations with refugee representatives to avoid a sudden and harmful transition. While cost recovery is now in effect, the government continues to provide free support for essential public health programmes, including nutrition services, malaria care for children under five, HIV, tuberculosis, vaccination, community-based services, and selected components of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). A dynamic list of vulnerable and indigent refugees, identified by UNHCR together with Ministry of Social Affairs (MINAS) through community-based mechanisms, remains fully exempted from service payment. These people’s access to free primary, secondary, and tertiary care is maintained, with costs reimbursed to the facility within available budgets. IMC ensures effective coordination of these resources to sust