C'River: Health Commissioner Advocates For Enabling Laws To Improve Budget Performance In Healthcare

By Kingsley Agim

The CRS Health Commissioner has appealed to critical stakeholders in the State to develop laws that will instil fiscal discipline and improved budgetary allocations for healthcare in the State.

Dr. Ayuk made the appeal, Monday, while declaring open a three-day workshop on Domestic Resource Mobilization For Healthcare in Calabar, the Commissioner had particularly appealed to the Cross River State House of Assembly to formulate legislations that will ensure the minimum allocation of 15% of State Budget is appropriated for healthcare.

"With the global demand for universal health coverage by 2030, the exponential rise in the population of the State to over 3million people, the increasing levels of global epidemics of COVID-19, HIV, Malaria, Tuberculosis, Lassa fever and other childhood diseases, cancers and diseases of the aged, the massive dilapidated and decayed health infrastructure and service delivery, the very low manpower base, the high rate of out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare and the resultant gross under-utilization of health facilities are sufficient reasons to overhaul the current historical approach of budget development to a more informed dynamic process," he remarked.

Dr. Ayuk lamented the poor allocations for healthcare and the persistent bottlenecks that trail fund releases as well as mismanagement of such resources. He appealed to the State legislature, Budget Office and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to devise processes that would not only improve the allocation of sufficient resources for healthcare, but also ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of budget implementation.

Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman, State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Rt. Hon. Hilary Bisong, appreciated Excellence Community Education Welfare Scheme (ECEWS), a non-profit organisation, for organising the workshop, with funding from USAID, to strengthen stakeholders' capacity in the State's HIV response programme.

The Lawmaker expressed confidence in the present leadership of health sector, led by Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk and believed that, with him on the saddle, "Cross River is on course to revolutionise its healthcare system."

He assured the participants of his continuous interaction with partners in health and adequate presentation in the House for the promotion of healthcare in the State.

Earlier, ECEWS State Director, Joe Umana, posited that the presence of caliber of government officials at the workshop was an indication of Cross River's commitment to improving the health sector of the State.

He assured government of his organisation's continued partnership towards enhancing stakeholders' capacity especially in HIV response programmes in the State.

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