Advocates have called for more accurate use of data to provide evidence to improve the health of women and children amidst claims of unfulfilled commitments to increase health spending.
They have also urged more inclusion of media, youth groups and civil society organisations to guarantee measures of accountability and transparency.
At a workshop on Accountability for Maternal Newborn and Child Health in Nigeria (AMHiN) experts said Nigeria’s health providers and government were held to little account over promises to commit more funding to health.
“Nigeria has been to all of these conferences and has made commitments of $11million for free drugs but not a dollar has been released since last year,” said Dr Aminu Magashi, regional director for the group Evidence for Action.
The Independent Expert Review Group (iERG) on Information and Accountability for Women and Children’s Health, noted that use of information in open, inclusive and participatory mechanism enables free “free exchange of evidence to improve the health of women and children.”
But it said in its report that a goal of transparency would be difficult to achieve given the current rate of progress in the country.
Cece Fadope of the International Centre for Journalists urged that media not just report government activities, but include the audience when reporting health.
“Help the audience understand the story. Include locally relevant information that carries the community language and relate the needs of the audience in the story,” she said.
In separate remarks, the Country Representative, Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), Offiong Enang called for more employment opportunities for youths and media and CSOs to improve data collection, analysis and dissemination as well as an end to gender-based violence, forced marriage and an increase in girl child education.
