By Joseph Edegbo
Poor budget performance in Family Planning has been recorded in Kaduna State following the failure of relevant agencies to raise memo for Releases.
Under the 2019 budget, Family Planning in the State was allocated over N147.6 million for which only one Memo requesting for N10,000,000 was raised so far.
The dereliction came to the fore on Friday at the presentation of the Kaduna State Family Planning Budget Performance Scorecard developed by Family Health Advocates in Nigeria Initiative (FHANI), which analysed government funding for FP in the State between January to September 2019.
The document presented by FHANI, shows that, of the N10,000,000 requested, N5.5million was the approved released, without cash backing.
The budget performance in terms of timeliness, budget execution, absorption and coverage were almost zero per cent, compared to same period in 2018, where the indicators progressively recorded one hundred percent.
The Scorecard shows that while the percentage of general government expenditure on funds on Family Planning releases from the Ministry of Finance to Primary Health Care Development Agency and State Health Supply Management was 100% in 2018, it was Zero % in 2019.
Also, while the general Government annual expenditure on Family Planning per Women of Reproductive Age (15 – 49 years) was N52.88, it is Zero in 2019.
Mr. Iliya Kure, FHANI Secretary, who presented the Scorecard, urged the State Primary Health Care Development Agency to prioritise timely development and submission of Memo and request for FP fund releases, while the government ensure timely release of FP funds for the provision of information and services.
Mr. Kure who acknowledged the cooperation enjoyed by FHANI, from the State Ministry of Finance, as well as Planning and Budget Commission, appealed to the government to improve access to FP budget information on its website to the public.
Contributing, Programme Officer, Pathfinder International, the supporting partner, Mallam Yusuf Nuhu, noted with delight that FHANI had taken the lead in FP advocacy activities in Kaduna State saying, “the success recorded by FHANI has singled it out from other CSOs”.
The Scorecard, he added, will help advance more Releases of fund by the government.
On his part, the Director, State Primary Healthcare Services, Dr. Iliyasu Neyu, said the Scorecard had given the Agency a good advocacy tool for Releases to cash backing and commended FHANI for the initiative.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the State House of Assembly, Development Partners and CSOs, including UNFPA, Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), Society for Family Health – IntegrateE, and MCH-CS Partnership, among others.
They advised the government agencies to always consider CSOs as their allies to follow up Memos, in case of any delay.
The representatives observed that Kaduna State would be better off, if women were provided access to Family Planning services.
Data for The Scorecard were sourced by FHANI from the Kaduna State 2019 approved budget, State FP Costed Implementation Plan, State Health Strategic Development Plan, State Ministry of Finance, as well as State Planning and Budget Commission.
The Data will be used by Family Planning advocates, including CSOs, FP Champions and Media to catalyse action for improved Family Planning services in Kaduna State.
