As part of efforts to improve healthcare in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Health and Welfare has urged health agencies and tertiary health institutions to focus on government health priorities.
These, in part, include infrastructure improvements, access to essential care, and effective disease prevention and control in their 2025 budget proposals.
The ministry's permanent secretary Daju Kachollom said focusing on programs and projects that ensure the government's health priorities are met is critical to achieving the country's vision for the health sector.
Kachollom said this while speaking at a Stakeholder Workshop on Budget 2024 Performance/Bilateral Session on Budget Preparation 2025 with Tertiary Health Institution Agencies on Wednesday.
The 2024 Budget Implementation/Bilateral Session on 2025 Budget is a two-day event that began on Wednesday in Abuja to prepare health agencies and teaching hospitals for their 2025 capital budget allocation.
Directive
Speaking at the workshop, Kachollom called for effective budgeting, while noting that agencies must focus on achieving objectives that align with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda in the allocation of the 2025 capital budget.
“It is also important to note that when allocating capital budget resources, we must focus on projects and programs that meet the government's priorities,” he said.
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He also urged competition and effective management of the capital budget allocation by 2025, noting that project and program costs must be “closely managed to ensure people get value for money as mandated.” of the ministry”.
The permanent secretary said: “It is imperative to note that during these difficult times special attention must be paid to cost diligence. The objective of this bilateral discussion is to enable us to align the strategy with effective budgeting for the delivery of the health sector mandate and to carefully examine and justify the projects and programs for which resources will be allocated.
“This is in line with Mr. President's Renewed Hope Agenda for the repositioning of the health sector, as well as the government's development priorities set out in the National Development Plan (PND) 2021-2025.”
Importance of an adequate budget
For her part, the ministry's Director of Finance and Accounts, Bakre Modupe, said proper budgeting is crucial to improving the health system.
According to her, budgeting is an important step for the government since it gives “space to plan and know the resources to allocate to programs and projects.”
Ms Modupe said the workshop was organized due to the recognized importance of the budget and also to assess the performance of the health sector in 2024.
He urged more work and increased efforts specifically to achieve the goal of the current administration and improve the country's health indices and system.
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She said: “The purpose of the meeting is to evaluate the ministry's performance in the health sector by 2024 and see how we will better move forward in the health sector.
“Yes, we may not be there 100 percent, but we are working to be there, and that is the essence of this so that we can organize our thoughts, our needs; Where we have made mistakes, we make amends.”