The Kaduna State Accountability Maternal New-born and Child Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM) with support from Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development (LISDEL), has conducted the first phase of activities to operationalize the Kaduna State Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) Accountability Framework by implementing some of the advocacy activities identified in the developed work plan.
Radio Nigeria reports that the BHCPF as an important provision of the National Health Act (2014) is an innovative financing mechanism established by the Act to improve delivery and access to primary health care in Nigeria.
It notes that this is necessary considering various funding constraints to appropriately finance primary health care in the country, leading to below-optimal levels of health outcomes and indices.
Speaking at a one-day advocacy engagements with the Kaduna State Ministry of Health and other partners, the Co-Chairman (CSO) of KADMAM, Mallam Mustapha Jumare outlined the importance of establishing and operationalizing effective accountability mechanisms, structures and tools to track implementation of the fund in the state.
According to him, the activities will ensure the full implementation as well as transparency and efficient management of the fund.
In her opening remark, the State Commissioner of Health, Hajiya Amina Mohammed Baloni explained that health was the business of all, and needs more voices and contributions from various stakeholders to achieve the said objective.
She hinted that Primary Healthcare, being the tier of health that 80% of the population access, should therefore be effectively improved for the betterment of citizens of the state.
She called on the Civil Society Organisations CSOs and the Media to improve their understanding of the Nigerian health system towards optimization of Primary Healthcare Service delivery and health advocacy in Kaduna.
Meanwhile, Dr. Umar Faruk Abubakar, Kaduna State Coordinator, LISDEL, said the specific objective of the activity was to conduct advocacy outreaches to key stakeholders and actors to track some of the indicators as provided in the Kaduna state BHCPF Accountability.
INUSA/GARBA MUHAMMAD, Kaduna