FACT FINDING MEETING WITH CSOs WORKING ON GFF/SOML

Global Promoters for Community Initiative, the coordinating organization of Primary Health Care State Advocacy team (PHeCSAT) organize a fact finding meeting with a technical and financial support from Mamaye Nigeria. The meeting was based on how civil society organizations can help the government in area of GFF most on Basic health care provision fund. The coordinator Mr Kalejaiye Olasunkanmi thank the State Government for coming to the masses rescue with the introduction of Niger State Contributory Health Agency to provide basic minimum package of health services to resident of Niger through eligible primary or secondary health care facilities. Equally, he also thank the government for accenting to establishment bill with the provision of office space for the start-up of the agency. He equally made it known that the agency cannot be separated from Primary Health Care as most of the services will be rendered at the facilities. The technical partner Mamaye Nigeria represented by the Senior Advocacy Advisor Fola Richie-Adewusi gave update of both national and international and implore the team to see a possible ways of domesticating it at the state level especially the update on the civil society coordinating group.
The Team also agreed on a work plan for the quarter with a resolution as follows:
Timely release of the approved take off grant for Niger state Contributory Health Agency for proactive operations and effective service delivery.
Constitution and inauguration of the Niger State Contributory Health Agency Board with inclusion of CSOs member at the inauguration.
The team also call on the government to fasten the repositioning of PHC staff and payment of their salary by the primary health care development agency.
The team backed their calls that government allocate 15% of their annual budget to SPHCDA as their contribution to Primary Health Care services delivery. This is contained in the PART VIII – Financials Provisions, section 23 subsection 3 (b) of the Law that established Niger State primary Health Care Development Agency.
The field Directorates of the agency should be given a budget code each with intervention and activities items allocated a budget line in the annual budget (e.g. a dedicated budget code for family Planning interventions, Immunization interventions, Nutrition intervention amongst others) and the programme officers or their directors be allowed to defend their budget at budget defence sittings. This will reduce fund wastage, improve budget performance and allow budget tracking and activities monitoring.