By Salisu Musa
The Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR) has conducted a 3-day Capacity Building Training on Health Budget Advocacy, Budget Analysis and Accountability for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Media and Community Structure in Kebbi State.
Health Reporters correspondent reports that the 3-day training climaxed with the formation of Kebbi State Led Accountability Mechanism (KeSLAM).
The KeSLAM will be coordinated and managed by two Co-chairs with a supporting secretary.
The KeSALM, is a platform that will bring all CSO, NGOs, CBOs, Media, Religious and Community leaders together, to work towards an improved health sector in the state.
It is constituted by a seven-man Steering Committee with nomination of two persons by each of the Coalition which include Hajo Yarlarai (Advocacy Core Group), Hajiya Kulu Bunza (Advocacy Core Group), Peter Maliki (Coalition of NGOs), Asma’u Sakaba (Coalition of NGOs), Abdullahi Aliyu (Coalition of CSOs) and Blessing Micheal (Coalition of CSOs).
The Capacity Building training which was supported by the USAID Integrated Health Programme (IHP), is targeted at stepping up advocacies to ensure improved quality, gender sensitive and all- inclusive primary health care services in the state.
The training was attended by 15 participants comprising of representatives from Coalition of NGOs, Coalition of CSOs, Advocacy Core Group, Women Group, Youth Group, People with Disabilities, WDC, Faith Groups and the Media.
Also, in attendance were IHP Abuja and Kebbi staff; Dr Halima Mukaddas, Dr Kabiru Gulma and Dr Aisha Senchi.
Speaking at the event, the Project Manager of CHR, Salisu Muhammad Musa stated that, “the aim of this activity is to promote partnership between CSOs, networks, government officials and other implementing partners, to share updates and Kebbi state performance on 2021 budget releases for health expenditure.
“It is also aimed at updating budget for health care performance fund’s implementation, other health indicators using scorecards and agree on way forward to improve quality, gender sensitive and all-inclusive primary healthcare services,” Musa said.
He also recalled that the stakeholders met on June 10, and identified as well as prioritized key health advocacy issues in the state and built consensus on five key health advocacy issues.
“These five issues are; inadequate or delay in release of key PHC services and facilities upgrading or renovation budget; lack of political will to fully implement the state health insurance; and non fully implementation of primary healthcare under one roof.
“Inadequate human resources at primary healthcare level and no drug management agency.
“These are the advocacies we are stepping up in order to ensure the improvement of gender sensitive and all – inclusive primary healthcare services in state government,” he said.
Musa explained that CHR is a national NGO established in November, 2000 with mission of stimulating collective response in the country and address the needs for improved quality health care services.
He said: “The CHR is implementing USAID Integrated health program’s grant in Bauchi and Kebbi State titled “Advocacy and Accountability Grant for Improved Governance, Resourcing and Stewardship of the Primary Health Care System for a period of five-month May 2021 to September 2021.
“The project objectives are to advocate for increased resourcing, prudent spending and investments for primary health care services and strengthen local networks’ capacity to institutionalize accountability mechanisms, citizen engagement and monitoring of service provision of primary healthcare services in Bauchi and Kebbi states,” he said.
In his remarks, the Kebbi state Executive Secretary of Primary Healthcare Service Development Agency (PHCDA), Dr Abubakar Ka’oje, thanked the CHR for organizing and inviting the stakeholders in order to improve on transparency and accountability in the primary healthcare services.
“We need that transparency and accountability not only in healthcare sector but also all human endeavours.
“More than ever before, we are realising the importance of accountability and transparency, hence we have adopted the idea of bringing primary healthcare under one roof in the state,” he said.
Dr Ka’oje assured of the agency readiness and commitment to support and provide the needed instruments in order to entrench the values of transparency and accountability in the state.
