Late release hampering health budget implementation- Senate leader

Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan has said that late and non-release of funds was hampering budget implementation in the health and other sectors of the country. He stated the weekend  in Abuja during an interactive session on the health budget with the leadership of seven focal state houses of assembly organized by Partnership for Advocacy in […]

Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan has said that late and non-release of funds was hampering budget implementation in the health and other sectors of the country.

He stated the weekend  in Abuja during an interactive session on the health budget with the leadership of seven focal state houses of assembly organized by Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) in collaboration with the National Institute for Legislative Studies.

He said over the years, the gap between budget allocation, releases and actual utilization has remained largely unsolved at national and sub national levels.

“This challenge is particularly more acute at the state level where the gulf between budget allocation and utilization is widest,” he said.

Lawan said even when the ministry of health was allocated as high as five per cent of the budget, it still did not get more than half of the funds from the Federal Ministry of Finance.

He said, “The issue is beyond the allocation because sometimes you can appropriate as high as 5 per cent of the total national budget (to health) but when it comes to releases from the Federal Ministry of Finance, you will find out that you may not get up to 50 per cent of what you appropriated.”

The senate leader said health institutions in the country also lacked the capacity to absorb huge funds saying there was no point appropriating the recommended 15 per cent and at the end of the day, the institutions would not be able to absorb 10 per cent. “So you need to build the institutions such that they can absorb whatever we appropriate.”

Lawan added that the Senate must ensure proper oversight so that even if the health budget was little, the funds could be effectively utilised.

 

While saying that the goal of universal health coverage (UHC) has been severely hampered by inadequate funding, he called on the leadership of legislative houses to generate ideas not only on modalities for higher budgetary allocation but also improved implementation.

He said this was particularly important because the 1% Consolidate Revenue Fund for health sector and push for allocation of 15% of annual budget for health by states could only yield results if health institutions have the requisite capacity to implement the budget and effectively utilize resources.

Chairman, Assembly Service Commission, Kebbi State, Muhammad Garba Bena  said effective oversight was key to the success of the legislature and healthcare for the populace, adding that , good planning at long and short term, adequate budgetary provision, effective teamwork and timely information dissemination would improve health services delivery to the people.

Other legislators at the forum also called for the involvement of governors in discussions on healthcare financing in order to achieve results.