CSOs task budget ministry over health spending

The Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) told the budget and national planning minister Udoma Udo Udoma to help push for Nigeria to redeem its commitments to increase health spending. They commitments range from the Abuja Declaration in 2001, when heads of governments committed their countries to allocate 15% of their budgets […]

The Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) told the budget and national planning minister Udoma Udo Udoma to help push for Nigeria to redeem its commitments to increase health spending.

They commitments range from the Abuja Declaration in 2001, when heads of governments committed their countries to allocate 15% of their budgets to health.

PACFaH, a coalition of civil society groups pushing for child and family health, also wants full appropriation for the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, financed by 1% of consolidated revenue and backed by the National Health Act.

The coalition, led by the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, wants appropriation for Nigeria to procure life-saving commodities including amoxicillin dispersible tablets, for childhood pneumonia, and zinc-low-osmolarity oral rehydration solution, for childhood diarrhoea.

In talks during a visit on the minister, programme director of the PSN-led PACFaH, Remi Adeseun, called for adequate funds to fully implemented a costed workplan to push the National Strategic Plan of Action for Nutrition, NSPAN.

NSPAN is supposed to expire in 2019, but implementation has stalled since the policy document was released.

The coalition makes the case for investing “in health not just as an expense or a social service but giving positive contribution to the nation’s economy,” said Adeseun.

PACFaH wants more inclusion of civil society groups in planning and discussions leading up to budget formulation, and has asked that CSOs working in health be invited to the medium term development planning meetings spanning 2016 to 2020.

Udoma said he could not comment on raising health allocation to 15% of national budget immediately, but spoke of “very strong commitment by the administration to meet those objectives.”

“We intend to give support to the ministry of health. It will be at the forefront and guide in how best to achieve these objectives.”

Udoma added, government needed civil society groups working hard to bring issues to both government and public notice.