By Asma’u Ahmad
Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH), has called for increased budgetary allocation to health sector in 2017 to boost the nation’s economy and productivity.
The programme coordinator of PACFaH, Ms. Anu Rotimi made the call at the end of a three-day stakeholders and advocacy meeting in Ibadan, Oyo state.
Newsmen report that the meeting also featured a Validation Workshop for trend analysis of the 2006 to 2016 budgetary allocations to health sector in the state. Ms. 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.
She 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.”
She appealed to the Oyo State Government to formulate and implemen 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.
“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,” she added.
In his remarks, the Secretary of Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), Mr. Seun Onifade advised media to join in the campaign for increased budgetary allocation to health sector.
Mr. 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.
