Stakeholders have called for improved implementation, tracking and accountability of health sector budgets to strengthen healthcare delivery and advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Kaduna State.

They made the call during an engagement on strengthening participatory budget processes, health budget tracking and advocacy on Saturday in Kaduna, with emphasis on the 2027 budget process and implementation of the Annual Operational Plan (AOP) for the health sector.

Seth Luke, a Civil Society Coach on strengthening participatory budget processes under the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Kaduna, said the engagement was aimed at strengthening the capacity of OGP Technical Working Groups and state and local government accountability mechanisms to effectively participate in budget processes and advocacy.

Seth said the engagement was particularly focused on the health sector, including tracking the implementation of the Annual Operational Plan as the state commenced preparations for the 2027 budget.

 “We want to see how we can track the implementation of the Annual Operational Plan for the health sector and, from our findings, bring out recommendations around improving funding and other areas that require attention,” he said.

He said the government needed to prioritise health financing beyond budgetary allocation by ensuring effective implementation of approved programmes and projects.

According to him, budget allocation represents government plans based on expected revenue, but available resources should be prioritised toward activities capable of improving healthcare and service delivery at the grassroots.

Seth urged participants to use the knowledge and findings from the engagement to engage relevant government stakeholders on improving health financing and budget implementation.

He also encouraged them to extend the knowledge gained to other sectors and continuously engage government on budgeting, accountability and service delivery.

Similarly, Garba Mohammed, Co-Chair of the Kaduna Maternal Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM), said the engagement was aimed at reviewing health budget performance against key indicators linked to maternal mortality reduction and child survival.

Mohammed said participants examined first and second quarter performance, particularly in areas such as family planning, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCAH), nutrition, malaria, immunisation and essential medicines.

He said family planning interventions largely involved commodities at the primary healthcare level, while MNCAH activities remained largely donor-dependent.

Mohammed commended the Kaduna State Government for meeting the Abuja Declaration benchmark of allocating at least 15 per cent of its annual budget to health.

He, however, expressed concern over gaps in the implementation of some critical health budget lines, stressing that allocation alone was not enough to improve health outcomes.

 “We have looked at the budget allocation, and Kaduna State has met the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration benchmark. We commend the state for that. However, there are still issues around budget performance in critical health indicators,” he said.

He said the findings would be used to identify advocacy priorities and engage key government decision-makers, including the Ministry of Health, Planning and Budget Commission, Ministry of Finance and other relevant authorities.

Mohammed said participants were expected to understand the relevant health budget lines and their implementation status and use the knowledge to undertake evidence-based advocacy in their respective organisations.

Meanwhile, Yusuf Guje, Executive Director, Civic Impact for Sustainable Development Foundation (CISDF), and a participant at the programme, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the engagement was timely in strengthening the capacity of civil society and accountability mechanisms.

Guje said the programme would deepen participants’ capacity in budget tracking, project monitoring and social auditing, particularly within the health sector.

He described the health sector as a critical pillar of development, saying civil society organisations had an important role to play in complementing government efforts through effective monitoring and accountability.

He said CSOs needed to strengthen their ability to analyse budgets, track expenditure and visit healthcare facilities to determine whether appropriated and released funds were being properly utilised.

“Civil society needs to really improve on how effectively we analyse the budget, how we track the spending, and go down to the various facilities to see how well the money appropriated and released is being utilised,” Guje said.

He said effective monitoring would help determine the extent to which communities benefited from government investments in healthcare.

According to him, Kaduna State’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage could only be strengthened through sustainable health financing and effective accountability mechanisms.

Guje described CSOs as representatives of communities that often lacked the knowledge, skills and platforms required to engage government on public policies and resource allocation.

He therefore urged civil society actors to continuously strengthen their capacity to represent citizens effectively, particularly in health financing advocacy and accountability.

 “As civil society, we need to remain committed to holding the government accountable where necessary and tracking the entire health financing process,” he said.

Guje said the ultimate objective of budget tracking and social accountability was to ensure value for money in public expenditure on health.

He added that effective monitoring of public finances would contribute to improved healthcare delivery and better health outcomes at the grassroots. (NAN)

Cross River Government has made enrolment in the state Health Insurance Scheme compulsory for all civil and public servants in the state.

The Head of Service, Bassey Okon, announced this in a circular dated Sept.

According to the circular in Calabar, at the weekend, the directive takes immediate effect.

Okon stated that the policy was meant to ensure that all the civil and public servants had access to affordable, quality, and timely healthcare services, while strengthening the welfare and productivity of the state workforce.

He directed all the civil and public servants to enroll in the scheme and comply with the registration and documentation requirements of the agency.

The circular also introduced a mandatory requirement for officers to attach valid health insurance enrolment cards to official correspondences relating to personnel matters.

“Correspondences concerning promotion, confirmation of appointment, loan applications, study leave, training or sponsorship, transfer or secondment, as well as other personnel-related requests or benefits, would not be processed without the attachment of a valid health insurance enrolment card,” it stated.

To facilitate the enrolment process, the government established enrolment points at the Office of the Head of Service, New Secretariat, Calabar, and the Ministry of Health, Old Secretariat, Calabar.

Okon directed all Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that officers under their supervision were duly informed about the circular and made to comply with the enrolment requirement without delay.

He also urged concerned officers to take advantage of the designated enrolment points for guidance and assistance and to complete their enrolment as required.

He further directed all the heads of the MDAs to bring the contents of the circular to the attention of all civil and public servants under their supervision. (NAN)

The Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State has expressed joy over the World Health Organisation’s Open Defecation-Free Certification for the council.

The council Chairman, Dr Eric Odo, attributed the feat to the combined efforts of the State Government and Enugu State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA).

Odo spoke when he paid a courtesy visit to CSDA, on Friday, saying that the commendation for the certification should go to Gov.

He also lauded the agency for its efforts towards improving the lives of vulnerable and rural communities in the state.

He attributed the agency’s rapid growth to the proactiveness of the CSDA boss.

According to Odo, the CSDA and its staff have shown dedication and professionalism in delivering a lasting outcome through a valid output of teamwork anchored on team spirit.

“The council appreciates His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah, for his strong support to the agency towards the provision of potable water to rural communities.

“The provision of potable water also comes with the construction of public toilets for the total eradication of open defecation in communities and council areas.

“These people-oriented initiatives are significant steps towards improving sanitation, public health and the wellbeing of residents,” Odo said.

He called for greater collaboration, advocacy and funding for CSDA to enhance its performance.

He also urged the agency to continue to prioritise disadvantaged communities and provide essential services, such as potable water and sanitation facilities, to rural communities.

Responding, Ani commended the council boss for the visit, describing it as a bold step towards consolidating the partnership between the agency and Igbo-Etiti council.

The CSDA boss also appreciated Odo and the council for supporting the efforts of the agency by constructing water boreholes in the council area.

“CSDA is grateful for your investment efforts, mobilisation and reorientation of the people, resulting in making Igbo-Etiti a WHO’s Certified Open Defecation Free Local Government in the state,” he said. (NAN)