MANGA, ZOUNDWÉOGO — On Friday, August 30, 2024, the Permanent Secretariat of Non-Governmental Organizations (SPONG) held a visibility workshop in Manga, Zoundwéogo province, to promote the Universal Health Insurance Scheme (RAMU) among local community representatives and health professionals. The event aimed to educate and mobilize community support for the scheme, which seeks to ensure accessible, quality health care for all residents of Burkina Faso without financial hardship.
According to Burkina Information Agency, project manager at SPONG, the workshop included around thirty participants such as officials from the Manga health district, administrative, customary, and religious leaders, along with members of civil society and Health Monitoring Committees (CVS). The RAMU, initiated in 2008, has recently entered a significant operational phase across several regions of Burkina Faso following the establishment of a legal and regulatory framework and the start of pilot projects.
The meeting in Manga served as a crucial platform to enhance community engagement for RAMU’s implementation. Bakouan highlighted the importance of a collective guarantee system inherent in RAMU, which allows contributors to receive health care when needed without the burden of out-of-pocket expenses. He emphasized the need for community awareness to foster enrollment and support for the program.
The workshop also addressed preparations for local health services to assess and strengthen their capabilities to ensure smooth implementation of RAMU. The representative of the High Commissioner of Zoundwéogo, Innocents Ouattara, encouraged all participants to commit to the successful deployment of universal health insurance in the Manga health district.
This initiative is part of a broader community monitoring project to improve access to health services, health insurance, and social protection for vulnerable groups and internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso. Running from April 2024 to December 2025, the project involves 20 communes across 10 health districts, including Bindé, Guiba, Manga, and Gon-Boussougou in Zoundwéogo. SPONG is collaborating with local associations like Zak La Yilguemdé (AZLY) and Teel Taaba to implement these efforts at the community level.