CSJ Organises 2023 Pre-Health Budget Validation Meeting In Rivers State

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has organised the Rivers State USAID-SCALE validation meeting for the 2023 pre-health budget memorandum today at DE-PREMIX HOTELS, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The pre-budget memo advocates that the Rivers State government should raise public investment in health. This is based on the idea that the amount and sources of healthcare financing have a significant impact on how long healthcare services in Rivers State can be sustained.

From the review of existing budget commitments conducted by CSJ, Rivers State’s public budget allocations do not meet the requirement of the funding needed to achieve Universal Health Coverage. The pre-health budget recommends among other things that it is imperative for the Imo State government to increase health sector funding to ensure that the 15% target is met in actual releases and utilization of the vote. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health should invest in value for money tools and processes to increase economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity of its investments across the health value chain.

The participants made key contributions to ensure the document will achieve its mission. One of such contributions was made by Dr. Idoma Promise, a principal lecturer at the Rivers State College of Health. His contributions were based on a research he just carried out that exposed issues of poor management in health facilities as a result of having medical doctors manage hospitals instead of health administrators. In his opinion, it should be a key recommendation.

Another one was suggested by Dr Naaziga Francis, the project manager of the Rivers State Agency for Control of Aids. He highlighted the need to improve the lot of primary health care facilities and also making the secondary health care facilities only accessible on referral. He cited how Israel successfully improved health care by improving primary health care. He also talked about tackling insecurity as it affects the optimal functioning of the primary health care facilities.

The 23 participants at the workshop were drawn from various organisations including NACA, Plus TV, JDPC, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, RIVSMCA and a host of others.

The project is being implemented by CSJ in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 7 focal states of Bauchi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Imo, Ekiti and Rivers. The project’s goal is to contribute to improvements in the realization of the right to health in Nigeria through enhancing respect for extant laws and policies, reforming laws and policies as well as mainstreaming transparency and accountability in public health sector expenditure.