As the World commemorates this year’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day themed “Health for All: Time for Action” yesterday, Save the Children International (SCI) has charged the Kaduna State government to invest adequately in its domestic health sector.
The international organisation further appealed to the state government to adopt nationally appropriate spending targets to ensure qualitative healthcare delivery reaches every nook and cranny of the state.
UHC Day is the official UN-designated day aimed at raising awareness of the need for strong, equitable, and resilient health systems, ensuring that everyone, everywhere irrespective of their socio-economic status has access to quality essential health services without suffering financial hardship.
Speaking at a one-day Public Policy Dialogue to commemorate the 2023 UHC Day held at a hotel in Kaduna, Advocacy, Campaign and Communication Coordinator, SCI, Kaduna field office, Farouk Abdulkadir told the gathering that his organisation is concerned about how quality health can be given to every citizen of Kaduna State not minding where they are or their social status.
“This is a very important day to us at SCI to ensure health is given to Nigerians especially children so they can live well as they grow to move the Country forward. The conversation here today will go a long way in what we will be doing in the state moving forward.
“So SCI will continue to work with the state at different levels to promote and bring health information to all including those at the grassroots.
“Luckily Kaduna is one of the few states with the highest presence of partners which is not in error, but as a result of the enabling environment for such partnership”, he noted.
Earlier in her keynote address, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Umma K Ahmed, represented by the Programme Manager, State Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr. Danga Sule Emmanuel, restated the commitment of the current administration to improved healthcare delivery in the state.
“To reaffirm our commitment to the Abuja Declaration, Kaduna State not only met the 15 percent benchmark but ensured over 50 percent of the health budget is judiciously spent.
“This illustrates with a clear understanding, that financial investment alone is insufficient: transparency, accountability, and results-driven expenditure are paramount.
“By spending more than half of the health sector budget, we aim to amplify interventions, fortify infrastructure, and elevate the well-being of our citizens”, she said.
Meanwhile, the dialogue panel identified the non-release of three percent counterpart funding for health insurance enrolees in the informal sector as one of the factors seriously preventing the poor from accessing quality health care services in Kaduna State.
Another issue that was brought to bear during that discussion which had representatives of government agencies, the private sector, academia, development partners, and civil society in attendance was the perception of the public about the private sector.
The private sector, which provides about 70 percent of health services is not being supported by government and donor agencies whereas, they have been supporting the public sector which provides 30 percent of healthcare services thereby making the realisation of the UHC target difficult.
The panelists therefore recommended that Kaduna Government must be deliberate in bringing both the public and private health sector together, especially with the fast majority of its citizens considering going to private hospitals rather than government hospitals due to issues of trust.
SOURCE: The Sun
