FAIRMED unveils 2026 roadmap, strengthens engagement with media.

Representatives of the Ministry of Public Health, including the Permanent Secretary of the National Leprosy Control Programme, as well as project coordinators, health district officials, community health agents, also attended the event, which also saw a detailed presentation of FAIRMED interventions in public health sector in the country.

The meeting was organised in prelude to World Leprosy Day celebrated on January 25 and World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day on January 30.

The exchanges with the media practitioners and health stakeholders also centred on the country’s progress in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs. 

In his address, the FAIRMED Country Director, Mou Ferdinand, outlined the organisation’s missions and objectives. Given the need for regular dialogue and transparency, Mou said FAIRMED’s work must be well understood by the public through accurate reporting. 

With regards to their strategic route for the coming years, the Country Director presented the core elements of their roadmap, announcing that FAIRMED will continue supporting health districts such as Malentouen in the Noun Division of West region and Ngambé-Tikar in the Mbam and Kim Division of the Centre Region through the MAPE project, as well as sustaining maternal and community health interventions in Abong Mbang, Upper Nyong Division of the East region. 

For the project interventions in Abong Mbang, Mou explained that there is still a lot to do in terms of maintaining health, and that his organisation remains resolute to helping the government via the universal health coverage, especially with health checks. 

“FAIRMED is also backing a new three-year leprosy programme coordinated by the National Leprosy Control Programme across eight health districts of the Centre region, and another initiative expected to begin in ten districts of the East Region dedicated to intensifying leprosy eradication,” the FAIRMED country boss added.

He said they are already accompanying the Ministry of Public Health via the National Leprosy Control Programme, in a project that started in January 2026, and will run for three years in the eight health districts of the Centre with another in the ten health districts in East region.

The Country Director also provided an extensive overview of FAIRMED’s past and ongoing work across Cameroon. He emphasized the integrated nature of their interventions, highlighting efforts in operational research, community mobilization, case detection, the training of health personnel, provision of medical equipment and consumables, and inclusive development for persons living with disabilities. 

“Our interventions are aligned with government strategies, and one of the most important aspects is community engagement. We mobilize communities, we sensitize them, and we have strategies that allow screening to happen effectively,” he voiced. 

It was also revealed that the FAIRMED equally support the government by building the capacities of health staff, traditional healers and community workers, and by providing drugs for conditions that do not receive external subsidies, as well as consumables for diseases that require intensive wound care. 

Enter Permanent Sec of National Leprosy Control Programme 

In a keynote presentation, the Permanent Secretary of the National Leprosy Control Programme, Dr. Njih Tabah Earnest, gave an in-depth explanation of leprosy, its epidemiology and the national response. 

He described leprosy is an infectious disease caused by a microbe called Mycobacterium leprae which affects the skin and the nerves, starting with patches that are lighter or darker than normal skin tone, and these patches have the peculiarity of losing sensation. 

While calling out against stigmatisation of leprosy patients or survivors, he equally hammered on the need for early detection, which boost the chances of its curability.

“If you have such a patch, it is likely to be leprosy, and it is extremely important to go to the nearest health facility where a health professional can examine you and make a diagnosis. The treatment is completely free of charge in Cameroon,” he sounded. 

He then clarified that people who present deformities because of leprosy should be considered as victims of leprosy and not leprosy patients. 

Going by Dr Nji Tabah, once someone has received the full treatment, the bacillus is cleared from their body, and they cannot transmit the disease. 

“It is the same as someone who had malaria and was treated; they cannot continue to be called a malaria patient all their life. We must reason in that manner and stop perceiving these individuals as contagious,” he told reporters.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3690 of Sunday February 01, 2026