The Federal Government through Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has onboarded the States's oversight committee of Basic health care provision fund for North-West Geopolitical Zone.
Speaking at the onboarding of the committee meeting held at R and K Guest Palace in Zaria on Tuesday the Secretary of the Ministerial Oversight committee (MOC)Dr Oreshoremi ogbe said the new guidelines was approved by the Minister of Health to improve implementation outcomes in the region.
He said that the SOCs, chaired by various State Commissioners for Health, were responsible for managing health sectors priorities with membership drawn from key health-care agencies and relevant partners including State Ministries of Finance.
Dr Ogbe pointed out the onboarding exercise would deepen their understanding of the expanded roles defined in the new guideline, which places accountability and transparency at the centre of the fund’s management.
“We are here to listen to the SOCs, understand the challenges they face and jointly proffer solutions so that the reforms can deliver the intended benefits,” he said.
According to him, the Federal Government is addressing concerns raised by the region, including weak collaboration among key actors, low awareness at the local government level and inadequate accountability structures.
Also speaking, National Coordinator of the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Coordination Office, Dr Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, represented by Dr Halil Jabiri, said BHCPF 2.0 represents a renewed commitment by the Federal Government to ensure improved governance of health financing.
According to him, the 2023 BHCPF Audit Report showed persistent accountability issues, stressing the need for stricter oversight to ensure funds reach citizens who need them most.
“The findings are a wake-up call. Every kobo must be accounted for and reach its intended destination,” he said,
He, therefore, pledged a continued technical support to the MOC towards achieving it's mandate.
In her remarks the meeting the commissioner for health, Kaduna State, Hajiya Umma K Ahmed commend the Federal Ministry of health and Social Welfare and National Primary healthy Development Agency for granting hosting to Kaduna State.
She urge the SOCs to ensure everything meant for BHCPF translate to vulnerable and under served community and called for more support from Association of Local Governments (ALGON) as stakeholders
A participant, Dr. Shehu Sambo, Executive Secretary, Jigawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) said BHCPF was a game changer in the health sector; it provides the needed impetus states lacked.
Sambo noted that the initial BHCPF 1.0 which was very successful hence the migration to 2.0.
He added that the migration will bring a lot of funding to the sector at sub-national level and restate the commitments and support of the SPHCDAs to the initiative.
``We will follow every due process to ensure that monies earmarked for the implementation of BHCPF has reached the last mile and has benefitted the most vulnerable layer of the society,’’ he said.
Malam Rabo Tambaya, acting Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) Katsina State Chapter said the association in North West Zone would do the needful to improve collaborations between SOCs and ALGON.
He added that the association would give its maximum support to further to improve support in the area of awareness in the various LGAs across the region to improve enrollments and other benefits
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