‘Lagos govt released only 23 per cent of 2018 health budget’

A non-governmental organisation, Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale (PACFaH@Scale) has appealed to the Lagos State government to ensure full and timely release of allocations to the health sector.

PACFaH@Scale made the call yesterday when its officials, led by Major-General Shina Ogunbiyi, paid a courtesy visit on the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Titilayo Goncalves.

Noting that the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme would remain a challenge without adequate and sustainable inflow of funds, the organisation disclosed that in 2018, the Lagos State government allocated N92.676 billion, or 9 per cent of the total budget, to the health sector but released only N21.315bn or 23 per cent of the allocated sum.

“It is our prayer for full and timely releases of allocations to the health sector,” Ogunbiyi said.

He gave reason for the visit as the organisation’s response to the state government’s commitment to improving its performance in the health sector, and pledged its support to the government in addressing the unmet need for family planning in Lagos State, which has increased by 4.7 per cent over the last five years.

According to the body, this meant that services had not been able to keep pace with the demands of women seeking family planning methods.

The team also noted that optimal coverage for routine immunization in Lagos State would also remain a challenge without full implementation of the Primary Health Care Under One Roof policy.

Ogunbiyi, however, commended the Lagos State government for its recent achievements in the health sector.

Data from the 2018 Demographic Health Survey showed that Lagos State was the pacesetter in health, emerging number one among the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory in the highest percentage (80 per cent) of women delivery by skilled birth attendants.

The state also had the highest percentage (21 per cent) of women using modern family planning and the lowest number of children (0.4 per cent) with severe anaemia.

Ogunbiyi said that Lagos State was ready to roll out its Basic Health Care Provision Fund, having provided its counterpart funding and ready to scale up the its Health Insurance Scheme.

Assuring the PACFaH@Scale team, Dr Goncalves responded that, “Health is wealth. We have a listening governor and I am positive that health will get some priority.”