A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) comprising of the GEM Hub Initiative, Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC) and Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON) have called for increased transparency in government budgeting and spending on health security.
They stated this on Thursday, at a Validation Meeting for the Accountability Framework & Scorecard on Health Security held in Abuja.
The meeting with theme, “Strengthening Accountability for Health Security Financing and Vaccine Equity Access in Nigeria” drew participants from government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), CSOs and the media.
In his welcome remarks, the Executive Secretary of HERFON, Dr. Celestine Okorie noted that the meeting marked “a significant milestone in our collective effort to promote responsible financing and ensure equitable access to vaccine and health security in our country”.
Dr. Okorie disclosed that the project, funded by the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) and implemented by HERFON, VNDC and the GEM Hub Initiative represents a bold collaborative stride towards accountability and sustainable health system financing.
“Over the past 20 months, this initiative has brought together diverse stakeholders to track and access investment in health security and to ensure that public resources are not only spent efficiently but also equitably, especially in reaching vulnerable populations with life saving vaccines and interventions.
“As we gather to validate the scorecard findings, we are not only looking at the data but at the live reality these figures represent. The discussion today will offer us the opportunity to refine our strategies, strengthen partnerships and reaffirm our shared commitment to building a resilient and accountable health system in Nigeria.
“Let us engage meaningfully and work together to ensure that the outcome of today’s meeting drive positive change in the health landscape of our nation”, he said.
In her presentation, Head of Programs, VNDC, Chika Nwankwo said the project started in 2023, with the focus on tracking how budget allocated to MDAs were spent on public health and health security strengthening.
It also aimed at highlighting loopholes and providing the necessary technical support to correct them:
“We are looking at the whole health security, what are the monies that have been sent to it, and how far has it been liquidated or what is remaining? Are there some form of accountability in terms of the budget spending?”, she said.
Nwankwo however lamented that some of the challenges they faced involved difficulty in getting appointment with duty bearers, disparity with some of the data gotten online and those gotten from the MDAs directly. She therefore noted that the validation meeting was critical because some of the indicators were populated with information from their website, whereas what was available in their offices were different.
“Most MDAs expenditures and financial reports are not open source, some of the ones you see are maybe those that partners are sponsoring.
“This is a problem in Nigeria, across MDAs, I don’t know why their budget is shrouded in secrecy. Most times, the money they are getting and the money they are spending is not online. You cannot find it, it’s just speculation”, she said.
Similarly, the Program Manager of HERFON, Dr. Opeyemi Adeosun said there was need to know income allocation and expenditures to measure the country’s progress with other developed nations. He noted that it was imperative to know how much had been spent on surveillance, Infection Prevention and Control, Antimicrobial Resistance and the likes.
However, “as we speak, NCDC financial report for 2024 is not on their website, citizens should have access to what tax payers paid for”, he said.
On her part, Youth Advocate with the GEM Hub Initiative, Zulaihatt Aminu said, “as we strengthen systems and hold institutions accountable, we must also ensure that people especially young people are not left behind”.
Aminu therefore pleaded that the scorecard be made a public, digital tool that youth can engage with, track progress, provide feedback, and hold institutions accountable.
“Preparedness is not just a policy, it is a practice. And as the largest segment of Nigeria’s population, youth are ready, willing, and capable of being part of that practice. Let us not wait for the next crisis to find out who is missing from the table. We are here, and we are ready to contribute”, she said.
