An advocacy group, Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health, has called for increased budgetary allocation to the health sector in 2017 to boost the nation’s economy and productivity.
Anu Rotimi, the programme coordinator of PACFAH, made the call on Saturday at the end of a three-day stakeholders and advocacy meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The meeting also featured a Validation Workshop for trend analysis of the 2006 to 2016 budgetary allocations to health sector in Oyo State.
Rotimi described the sector as the major driver for economic development, which should be given priority in the nation’s budgetary allocation.
According to her, health and economic performances are inter-linked and health sector is a viable avenue to revive the economy.
Eotimi said: “Investment in health is an essential priority to boost the economy; it has a multiplier effect; increased health funding and budgetary allocation means improved access to lifesaving health services for everybody.
“For instance, appropriate funding for the procurement of family planning commodities means you save more women’s lives, and also encourage healthy child spacing.
“This has multiple advantages to the mother, the family, and the society in general, and repeated pregnancy means less productivity and less income.”
Rotimi appealed to the Oyo State Government to formulate and implement sustainable policies and laws that would address the challenges facing healthcare delivery in the state.
She said: “Inflation rate and population growth have really affected funds allocation to the health sector in Oyo State in the last few years.
“With a population growth rate of about seven million per annum, there is need for the state government to ensure that appropriate funding is released to the health sector.
“We cannot keep relying on external funding and donor agencies; this concerns health of our people, and we need to own it through proper funding and planning.
“The current allocation to the health sector is about 2.1 per cent, whereas the benchmark is 15 per cent; health as a driver for economic development cannot be handled with levity.
“Jigawa and Bauchi have gone up to 15 per cent, Oyo State can do it too.”
In his remarks, Seun Onifade, the Secretary of Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria, advised media to join in the campaign for increased budgetary allocation to health sector.
Onifade said that the civil society organisations were more committed to working with the media to give visibility and prominence to key health issues in the country.
Trending
- Traditional ruler shot dead inside palace
- Primate Ayodele to Yoruba Nation agitators: You can’t break Nigeria
- Police intercept bags of Indian Hemp at Lagos jetty
- Enugu, families to give Ibu, Junior Pope befitting burial
- Police arrest suspects for attempting to disrupt inauguration of commissioners
- Police rescue three children locked up by grandmother + Photo
- Police foil attack in Katsina, neutralise suspected bandit
- US vetoes Palestine’s request for full UN membership