Stakeholders urge Health Minister to educate vulnerable people, citizens on utilisation of basic healthcare funds

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By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Mohammed Ali Pate, has been urged to ensure proper education of vulnerable people and other citizens of the improved health financing by the government to enable them access and utilise basic healthcare funds allocated to over 8000 health facilities across the country as their rights.

The call was made by Bauchi State Stakeholders through their Spokesperson, Dr Yahaya Ibrahim, Director of Andiwa Farmers Association, while speaking to journalists in Azare, headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area.

He said that rural people, peasant farmers and vulnerable communities need to be adequately educated and informed more on how they will access healthcare facilities and to know what amount of money is being kept for them at the facilities.

He stressed that this became necessary considering the fact that majority of them are illiterates, don’t even know the facilities where the Ministry has allocated money.

Yahaya Ibrahim further said that he saw a letter circulating on social media by an organisation, BudgIT, under the Freedom of Information, asking the Coordinating Minister to give information on the utilisation of these funds.

He said that, “But several weeks after the Ministry received the letter, we didn’t hear anything from the Ministry which is against the rule of law.”

According to him, “Because it is the law that established the Ministry and it is the law that appointed the Coordinating Minister and it is the law that asked him to explain within seven days, not only to BudgIt, but to Nigerians about the utilisation of these funds. But keeping silent will not help matters, everyone knows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a Democrat who respect the rule of law.”

He also said that everyone knows BudgIT Foundation is a civic tech organisation raising the standards of transparency, accountability, and service delivery in the Nigerian government and governance.

“It uses creative technology to simplify public information, stimulate a community of active citizens, and enable their rights to demand accountability, institutional reforms, efficient service delivery, and an equitable society,” he added.

He added that,”Tracka, a programme under BudgIT, has been supporting communities to track government/constituency projects in the communities for the sole purpose of ensuring that these projects are delivered for the development of the communities and the improvement of the lives of the citizens”.

The Stakeholders Spokesperson stressed that, “They wrote pursuant to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, to formally request access to information regarding the recent third-round funding disbursement through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.”

He also stated that, “Specifically, the request included the following information: the complete list of the 8,000+ health facilities that are meant to benefit from the recent third round funding amounting to N32.9 billion. The precise location (including state and local government area) of each of these benefiting facilities. The amount allocated and disbursed to each of the 8,000 facilities.”

Yahaya Ibrahim stressed that, “As an independent monitoring body, Tracka has been actively involved in tracking and monitoring some of the revitalised Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) across Nigeria.”

He stressed that, “We are committed to driving transparency and accountability in this important project, ensuring that funds are effectively utilized for the intended purposes of improving primary healthcare delivery.”

According to him, “We believe that access to this information will enable BudgIT to continue with its oversight role and contribute positively to the success of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund initiative. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, as stipulated in the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.”

He also said that, “It is a welcome development that reputable transparency and accountability organisations like BudgIT are asking to know how funds allocated to the healthcare of the common man are utilised by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, under Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate.”

According to him, “Apart from the N32.9 billion third round of the basic healthcare funds approved to the Ministry by President Bola Tinubu, for the benefit of the common man, there are other private donations by local and international donor agencies and development partners.”

“The utilisation of such donations are usually shrouded in mystery. I want to call on BudgIT to write to the Ministry again to also ask questions about the utilisation of all donations made by local and international agencies such as Dangote Foundation, TY Danjuma Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carter Foundation and many others. BudgIT should demand to know from these agencies how much they donated to Nigeria, and how the funds are utilised,” he added.

Yahaya Ibrahim also said that, “I recently read that the Minister has set up what he calls “Oversight Committee/Basic Healthcare Provision Fund Secretariat,” that will work together with the ICPC to track the proper utilisation of these funds. While this may sound noble, the Minister’s attention must be drawn to the fact these funds were entrusted into his hands.”

According to him, “As such, he should allow a neutral, Non-Governmental organisation like BudgIT to do the tracking on behalf of ordinary Nigerians for whose the healthcare funds were meant to serve.”

He added that, “Additionally, the Minister should know that his choice of his home state of Bauchi to launch the tracking exercise has left people asking questions about the real motive of the whole exercise.”

Ibrahim Yahaya also said, “It will be good if the Minister will do his best to make sure that our hospitals are well equipped with needed radiology equipments and other test equipment to enable a patient undergo series of tests in the hospitals.”

He stressed that, “Because of lack of equipment, my brother suffered at Federal Medical Centre, Azare. Today, if you don’t know anybody in government health facilities, you will find it difficult before a Doctor or Health Personnel will see you, our son spend more than one week to get medical certificate in government Hospital.”

He also said that, “Our people are afraid to complain on the conduct of some personnel in the Hospitals, so the Minister should solicit the support of secret security services that will monitor how things are going today in government Hospital. Even Polio Immunisation, he should do something to sanitise the system especially the conduct of some personnel.”

He however advised Nigerians to remove fear, to put more interest on their rights.and complain whenever they see things are not going in the right ways as expected.