2018 Appropriation Bill: PACFaH urges NASS to increase health budget

The Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale, PACFaH, and National Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria (NACHPN) has called on the National Assembly to use its full weight to increase and full implememtation of Abuja accord on primary health.

Speaking at a press conference with theme: ‘The falling 2018 health sector allocation as a threat to government’s health care under one Roof Policy.’ PACFaH advocated adequate funding and the full implementation of government’s commitment to child and family health.‎

President Muhammadu Buhari allocated N340.45 billion to the health sector in the proposed 2018 budget. This represents 3.9 per cent of the total N8.6 trillion budget.

According to PACFaH if the appropriation bill is passed as it is, it would imply a three-year consecutive decline in the allocation to health sector

Allocation to the health sector in 2017 and 2016 are 4.16 percent and 4.23 percent respectively.

Ibama Asiton, acting General-Secretary NACHPN, in his address said the association is clamouring for a raise in the health budget allocated to Nigeria to prevent further decay in the sector.

While decrying the gradual shortfalls, he said the NACHPN, comprising of Community Health Officers, CHOs, Community Health Extentions workers, CHEWs and Junior Community Health Extension Workers, JCHEWs, are the front line primary health care professionals in partnership.

Asiton says making adequate budgetary provisions for health in the budget and by implementing it in full is important.

“The 2018 Annual Budget proposal is called a budget of consolidation, if the government is committed to consolidation in the health care system, then the Community Health Influencer, Promoter and Services CHIPS are consolidators of the health sector.

“While Nigeria’s overall budget has grown by 92 percent from N4.49 trillion in 2015 to N8.61 trillion in 2018, the same cannot be said of the health budget. The health budget has only grown by a small 14%.

“The prosperity of the country reflected in the growth of the national budget has unfortunately not yet been fully felt in the health sector.

“We, therefor, call on the National Assembly and all relevant stakeholders to do the needful by improving funding for Nigeria’s health system beginning from the 2018 Appropriation bill”.

The moderator, Aremu Fatai, who is the acting country director of PACFAH@ Scale, said the conference came because of the shortfall in the budgetary allocation to the health sector.

He said it was time to advocate for proper funding and timely release of funds to the health sector.