LISDEL HOLDS WORKSHOP ON EPIDEMIC PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE FINANCING, ……. Kano state tops list with 16% of budget on Health.
Oru Leonard
Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development, an NGO, held a workshop on Multisectoral Forum on Epidemic Preparedness and Response Financing in Nigeria with the theme: “Raising the accountability bar for health security financing in Nigeria” on Thursday, February 25, 2021 in Abuja.
The workshop was aimed at deepening the knowledge of key stakeholders on the National Action plan on health security in Nigeria, to engender an enabling environment for health security policy and financing in Nigeria through effective stakeholders engagement, forge a coalition for enhancing accountability for health security financing in Nigeria and showcasing the effectiveness of previous investments in health security in Nigeria and brought keynote speakers and Panelists who identified the absence of transparency as one key challenge.
Dr. Priscilla Ibekwe, the Deputy Director, Special Duties NCDC who presented a paper on the overview of financing and implementation of the National Action Plan on Health Security applauded the government for prompt responses to health pandemics in the country. However, she noted that despite the good rating on the government in regards to health issues, the government needs to increase funding in the health sector.
The two-panel discussions with the topic: Raising the accountability bar for the public, private sector, and donor investment in Epidemic preparedness and response, improving investment in epidemic preparedness and Response -Experience from the implementation of Prevent Epidemics project, respectively, dealt decisively on the challenges and fashioned out remedies to the identified problems.
Kano State contingent came in numbers with the health sector stakeholders including the Commissioner for Health, Dr Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, Health Committee Chairman of Kano State House of Assembly, Honourable Musa Ali Kachako, Hajiya Hafsat Kolo, Muhammad Shuaib
“In Kano state the government, private sector and individuals have done well and the state budgeted 16% to health, specifically creating a line of 300 Million Naira” Dr Tsanyawa disclosed.
Honourable Usman who said the topic is of global significance, noted that the devastated of of the pandemic did not affect Nigeria much because of God’s mercy. He also called for more funding in the health sector.
Earlier, the Execuitive Director, Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development, Dr. Emmanuel Alhassan
lauded the Kaduna state government over unmeasurable achievements attained in the health sector.
He further stressed that other state governments should emulate the Kaduna state to ensure a better health sector in country.
