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Bauchi Govt mobilises NLC on healthcare financing scheme

Bauchi Govt mobilises NLC on healthcare financing scheme
By Amina Ahmed
Healthcare
Bauchi, March 27, 2019 (NAN) The Bauchi State Health Contributory Management Agency (BACHMA) says it will meet with the officials of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to ensure the success of contributory fund for healthcare financing in the state.
Dr Mansur Dada, the Executive Secretary of the agency, disclosed this on Wednesday when members of Bauchi State Network for Civil Society Organisations (BASNEC) visited him.
He said that the meeting with labour union leaders in the state would be held in April to discuss the way forward.
He said that the agency would also hold meetings with various trade unions and organised private sector to work out contribution modalities for its members and employers.
“The programme will include formal and informal sector workers and students of tertiary institutions across the state.
“Others are the vulnerable persons in the state; their contribution will be coming from the federal government and the agency,” he said.
Dada said the agency’s doors were open for donation from both public and private sectors willing to support the scheme.
He pledged to partner with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to ensure transparency, accountability and efficient management of funds and services delivery.
The Chairman of BASNEC, Mr Jinjiri Garba, expressed the willingness of the group to partner the agency in delivering on its mandate.
He said that BASNEC had a membership of about 100 CSOs across the state, adding “we have successfully advocated for the increase of health budget in the state from nine per cent to 16 per cent”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that BACHMA was established recently to ensure free healthcare delivery to all residents of the state. (NAN)
AE/AZU/MST
Edited by Azubuike Okeh/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

HP+, FCTA inaugurate group to improve health financing

HP+, FCTA inaugurate group to improve health financing
NAN-HG
Financing
By Mustapha Sumaila
Abuja, March 12, 2018 (NAN) The Health Policy Plus (HP+), an NGO, in collaboration with Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has inaugurated Health Financing Technical Working Group (HFTWG) to strengthen health financing system in the territory.
Inaugurating the group in Abuja on Monday, the Country Director of HP+, Mr Onoriode Ezire, said the step was taken to improve access to healthcare for the well being of FCT residents.
Ezire explained that FCT was in dire need of sustainable and predictable improvement in its health financing system to make the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goal achievable.
He said that the HFTWG would act as catalyst to drive the needed health financing reform in the FCT as is operational at national level.
“This inauguration of the group marks the beginning of our work and the outcome will change the narrative in the health sector in the territory.
“We need to commend the leaders of Health and Human Service Secretariat (HHSS), especially the Secretary, Mrs Amanda Pam, for their commitments to the project.
“HP+ has pedigree and we have the capacity to deliver and we are appealing to FCTA to show more commitment and maximum support,” he said.
The country director disclosed that his organisation had worked in Sokoto, Bauchi and Ebonyi states in 2017 to improve their health systems.
In her remarks, Pam noted that the inauguration of the group was a good development for her secretariat as well as the territory.
Represented by Alhaji Surajo Faskari, the Director Administration and Finance in the secretariat, Pam charged the group to advise, coordinate, report and support roles in the implementation to improve funding of healthcare in FCT.
She described members of the group as passionate and resourceful individuals and organisations that would provide technical support to the health financing unit of the secretariat.
The Chairman of the group, Dr Mohammed Kawu, expressed appreciation to USAID which brought in HP+ to offer such intervention to improve the health system in the territory.
Kawu stated that no state needed this kind of intervention like FCT because of several challenges that confronted it like the case of polio being among the high risk states in the country.
He pledged on behalf of other members to work strictly in accordance with terms of reference and ensure the health policy in FCT was well implemented.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the group were drawn from government establishments, private organisations, health associations and civil society groups, among others. (NAN)
MS/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Mrs Buhari advocates adequate resources for nutrition

Mrs Buhari advocates adequate resources for nutrition
NAN-H-26
Malnutrition
By Cecilia Ologunagba
Abuja, Oct. 3, 2017 (NAN) The Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has advocated adequate financial and technical resources to implement nutrition programmes in order to eliminate malnutrition in the country.
Buhari said this at an event to flag off Nutrition Road Walk from Sandralia Hotel, Utako, to Utako Market on Tuesday in Abuja.
The walk was part of the activities to commemorate the 2017 Nutrition Week, aimed at intensifying awareness creation on the important role of food and nutrition in child survival and its impact on productivity.
Buhari, represented by Mrs Pauline Tallen, former Deputy Governor of Plateau, said healthy nutrition was part of healthy living.
According to her, what people eat make difference in their health status.
“We are aware of the indices of malnutrition and negative impact on social and economic development.
“What is required is adequate financial and technical resources in implementing necessary programme and projects that will dramatically improve the nutritional situation as a nation.
“Nigeria should make all effort to allocate the resources needed for elimination of malnutrition in all forms.’’
Buhari, however, told the stakeholders that the focus of her pet programme – Future Assured – was to take care of the nutritional need of women and children, especially the less privileged and the Internally Displaced Persons.
The Minister of State, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said that 2016 Nutrition Week witnessed the launched of the revised National Policy on Food and Nutrition.
Ahmed said that the policy, a 10-year blueprint, had been disseminated nationwide as part of the strategy for ensuring its smooth implementation.
“It is reported that almost all the States have been able to domesticate the Policy and have gone ahead to develop their specific cost plan of action.
“This is heart-warming as it demonstrates ownership across the States of the federation.
“Other dividends arising from the launch of the revised Policy included the development of sectoral strategies in line with the policy by Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Health and others.
“Partners are also keying into the approved Policy to situate their various interventions to push the frontiers of the fight against malnutrition in Nigeria,’’ she said.
Ahmed, however, said the ministry had come up with the draft implementation plan for the Policy which would soon be finalised.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Leon Aliboh, said that the 2017 edition of the Nutrition Week was targeted at high level stakeholders at the National and Sub-national levels.
Aliboh said it would also serve as platform to sensitise stakeholders on the relevance of mainstreaming food and nutrition policies and programmes into the Economic Growth and Recovery Plan (ERGP) at all levels of government.
“The Nutrition Week with the theme: `Improved Nutrition and Empowerment’, speaks to two of the three broad strategic objectives of the ERGP – Economic Growth and Investing in our People.
“We will use the occasion to show case how the Food and Nutrition Policy has been mainstreamed into the ERGP.
“This is more appropriate at this time to ensure that a budget line is created for food and nutrition stakeholders in the relevant Ministries Departments and Agencies at all levels,’’ he said.
In his goodwill message, Prof. Tola Atinmo, Father of Nutrition in Nigeria, assured the ministry of the support of experts and academia in the sector.
“Future assurance of children can only be assured by proper nutrition, so I want to assure that the week celebration will achieve greater success than the last year’s celebration,’’ Atinmo said.
The maiden 2016 edition of nutrition week witnessed the investiture of Hajiya Aisha Buhari as Nutrition Ambassador of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, a number of activities had been outlined for the week, which included road walks, advocacy in churches and mosques well as symposia.
Other activities include news conference and public enlightenment campaigns, aimed at behaviour change towards healthy diets by the general public. (NAN)
CIA/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola