The Jigawa Health Partners has appraised the 2024 3rd quarter budget performance analysis of the Health sector.
In a statement on Sunday, the Executive Director of ELIP-Initiative, Isah Mustapha, presents some key recommendations for the appraisal.
The 2024 Q3 budget performance analysis revealed that the budget undergoes a series of transformations, (Supplementary and budget review) notable changes were the movement of funds from capital to recurrent in order to finance contingency transfers, legal, service, and Ministry of Power, the Overall state budget performance stood at 174.828bn (45.6%).
The partners’ analysis shows a greater performance of the recurrent expenditure component (Personnel and other recurrent) from 41.808bn in Q2 to 72.589bn in Q3.
Likewise, the capital expenditure rises from 49.797bn in Q2 to 102.239bn representing 40.2%. However, we could not ascertain the actual expenditure of IMPACT projects none of the reporting entities has the data.
An Appraisal of the health sector budget performance reveals that the sector allocations in the last 8 years is generally inconsistent, it ranges from 10% to 15.7%. Apart from the 2022 and 2023 financial years, the state has never reached the 15% Abuja declaration between 2017 to date.
The 2024 allocation to the sector is the least in the last 8years. Despite the state commitment in the signed Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF) document, the overall allocation to the health sector dropped from 10.7% in the approved budget to 10.3% in the revised 2024 budget against the overall state budget.
The 2024 budget allocation to the health sector fluctuated from the approved budget of 36.208bn to 41.208 in the supplementary budget and finally dropped to 39.457bn in the revised budget (a budget cut of about 2bn).
Likewise, the capital expenditure suffered a budget cut-off of over two billion Naira, this might be attributed to low budget performance.
The findings further reveal that, out of 33 capital projects and programs, only 18 received funds from January to September. While the remaining 15 (such as psychiatric hospitals, Ophthalmic Unit in some General Hospitals, Family planning, etc.) received zero releases. Some of these budget items such as operational research, ophthalmic, PPM unit, and Family planning, etc.) continue to suffer abysmal or no release for years.
The partners recommend that the budget allocation to JISACA should remain at the Office of the Deputy Governor.
However, their mandate should be transferred to the Ministry of Health, the sector should deploy all the necessary strategies that will facilitate the prompt and timely release of the budget. Other recommendations are; that the Ministry of Health should ensure strict adherence to its procurement plan and conduct monthly review meetings of the sector procurement plan.
The state Executive Council should ensure that all the MDAs access at least 20% of their capital budget every quarter as enshrined on the performance bond,
The partners further advise the Jigawa state government to honor its commitment to the Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF) document to allocate at least 15 of the total state and utilization of at least 90% in the subsequent years.
The planning departments should develop strategies that will encourage program managers and technical officers on timely fund requests for optimal budget utilization, health Monitors and CSOs should strengthen their community engagement efforts on community mobilization for ownership and sustainability of health services, programs, and projects.
Other recommendations are; Government should ensure prompt and regular payment of ongoing projects at the beginning of the first quarter to facilitate budget performance, planning departments should be informed on any reviews that affect budget allocation, for data consistency and coherency and the Ministry of Budget is advise validate Quarterly Budget Performance Report prior to publication.
Jigawa Health Partners is a group of Civil Society Organizations working to facilitate the reduction of maternal and child mortality to the barest minimum.
The Partners comprise Civil Societies Organizations, Media, and Academia.
