Deadline for Health: The Media’s Response to Covering HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in Africa
Country Report Summaries: Cameroon

Human Development Index rank: 142 out of a total of 175 countries.
Adult literacy rate: 72.4 percent (UNDP 2001)
GDP per capita: $1,680 (UNDP 2001)
Life expectancy at birth: 48 years (UNDP 2001)
Government expenditure on health as percentage of total general government expenditure: 7.8 percent (WHO 2002)
HIV/AIDS prevalence in the adult population (15-49 years): 6.9 percent (UNAIDS 2004)
Orphans due to AIDS: 240,000 (UNAIDS 2004)
Population size: 16 million
Print media surveyed:
Cameroon Tribune (state-owned daily)
Mutations (privately owned daily)

Two daily newspapers were analyzed for this study: the Cameroon Tribune, a state-owned bilingual French/English daily 32-page publication with a circulation of 20,000 copies; and Mutations, a weekly privately owned 16-page French-language newspaper, which went daily in 2002. Mutations is now the most widely circulated newspaper in the country selling between 20,000 to 25,000 copies a day.

The number of health-related stories in both newspapers was fairly low. In the 60 editions of the Cameroon Tribune that were analyzed, 8 percent of the articles were devoted to health issues. In the 26 issues of Mutations studied, 4 percent were on health topics.

State-owned radio was identified by more than three quarters of the respondents as the most influential medium for disseminating information; it was seen as reliable and trustworthy. Print ranked lowest, largely because of illiteracy and the cost of newspapers. The power of television was acknowledged, especially in communicating about HIV/AIDS.

There was a significant level of skepticism expressed toward the media’s coverage of health. More than 70 percent of the focus group respondents accused journalists of “opportunism,” meaning that journalists focused on health only when it related to major events. Only 16 percent of the respondents thought the media was even interested in HIV/AIDS. As in many countries, politics and sports dominate the Cameroonian media. And that bias translates into a hierarchy within the newsroom where sports writers and political journalists are more highly regarded than those who cover other issues, like health.

While members of the public who were interviewed appreciated the media’s efforts to promote health, they were heavily critical of the emphasis on HIV/AIDS at the expense of cardiovascular diseases, malaria, tuberculosis and even cancer.

When asked to identify their chief health concerns, members of the public cited the cost of pharmaceutical products, inadequate information and the poorly organized health system. They said the media should bring health information closer to the people by going out into the field to report the realities of ordinary people’s lives. They also urged nongovernmental organizations, health professionals, policymakers and the state to collaborate with the media in a bid to sensitize, educate and inform the population.

All the groups surveyed said the media had little interest in women’s health issues. More than 95 percent of focus group participants stressed the preventive aspect of media coverage, especially for women. As mothers who raise children, women needed to be well informed. To boost media coverage of health and women’s issues, “it is essential to build the capacity of women both in the areas of communication and health services,” said one focus group member.

The policymakers who participated were aware of the essential role they play in decision making. But they also acknowledged that the lack of political will and the personality cult of political leadership were hindrances to any effort to improve the media coverage of health issues.

The policymakers who participated in the focus groups and interviews all agreed that the state must provide funding for the media to support their coverage of health issues. Some said that the state should institute a legal framework to guarantee a durable partnership among the various actors in this area: the public, the media, NGOs and health professionals. All this would depend on well-trained people and financial resources as well as the fulfillment of commitments. Furthermore, it would be necessary to set up a team of expert communicators who would observe people daily in real life and advocate for them.

Despite misgivings about the media’s performance to date, the study showed overwhelming support for the media to take a greater interest in health issues in general and, in particular, to provide better coverage of women’s health, the public health sector and basic hygiene. Media practitioners suggested that continuous training seminars be organized for journalists.They also called for competitions for the best health stories, documentaries and magazine programs. Ultimately the fundamental issue is one of resources – both to enable journalists to do their jobs thoroughly and to support training of health journalists.