By Ndidi Chukwu
The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, Permanent Secretary and Heads of Departments and Agencies under Ministry of Health will today Thursday the 9th of February , defend the 2017 health budget before the Senate Committee on Health.
The minister is expected to give detailed account of global funds it receives for health programs in Nigeria, status of their expenditure and why they are not captured in the 2017 health budget as global contribution to health.
Professor Isaac Adewole
Senator Lanre Tejuosho, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, stated this during a press conference in Abuja while addressing the issues of funding shortfall for health in the 2017 budget, poor accountability in health financing and expenditure, as well as poor budget performance with regard to previous years.
According to him, the senate committee would like to hear from the ministry of health what it does with funds received from the global community as the country’s current economic situation does not allow wastages of funds.
Senator Tejuosho stated that in “this period of recession, our goal is to achieve value, we must give all it takes to find and consolidate lasting solutions to Nigeria’s maternal and child health challenges through legislation, adequate oversight and appropriation”
He further said that the committee’s closeness to the citizens has brought the direct reality of the high level of poverty as well as infant and maternal mortality rates into focus, adding that the interest of the 8th National Assembly is to take a number of decisions that would improve the health and livelihood of Nigerians, in line
with its agenda.
