Kaduna State Government has started a two-day meeting
to validate its Healthcare Financing Policy and Strategy (KSHFPS) to ensure access to
equitable and quality healthcare services.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Mohammed-Baloni, said at the opening of the meeting
in Kano on Friday, that the KSHFPS was in line with Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for all people
to have access to healthcare without financial barriers or discrimination.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the review and development of the KSHFPS document
and the Implementation Plan was supported by Save the Children International, under its Gates Anchor IV Grant.
The health commissioner, who was represented by Dr Sunday Joseph, Director, Planning Research
and Statistics in the ministry, said “one of the mandates of the ministry is to develop needed policies and strategies.”
She said that the strategic document would help the operationalisation of healthcare delivery systems,
with a view to providing quality and affordable healthcare services to Kaduna residents.
Providing an overview of the KSHFPS, the Consultant, Prof. Cheluchi Onyemelukwe, pointed out that
out-of-pocket expenditure for healthcare accounts for 81 per cent in the state, with government only contributing seven per cent.
Onyemelukwe said that the unmet health need of residents, coupled with high cost of healthcare to households was
an indication of financial related barriers to assessing healthcare.
She added that the state made considerable improvement in financing health by meeting the Abuja Declaration of
allocating 15 per cent of its total budget to the health sector.
She, however, pointed out that the budget performance was still poor.
According to her, the goal of the KSHFPS is to ensure that all residents of the state have access to equitable and quality
health services without financial barriers at the point of accessing care.
She said that to accomplish this goal, the KSHFPS would focus on increasing general government health expenditure
as a percentage of general government expenditure by five per cent.
She explained that KSHFPS would also improve the coverage of Kaduna residents on health risk protection mechanisms
by 50 per cent and reduce out-of-pocket expenditure on health as a percentage of the 50 per cent.
“The KSFHFPS will improve health expenditure on primary healthcare by 20 per cent and ensure that the state insurance
scheme has a Performance Based Financing as provider payment mechanism.
“The policy and strategy will strengthen healthcare financing systems to ensure accountability, transparency and
sustainability at the state and local government levels and improve coverage of vulnerable populations by 20 per cent.”
Mr Abubakar Hassan, the Director-General, Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA),
thanked stakeholders and partners for supporting the state to strengthen healthcare delivery systems.
Hassan, who is the Chairman, Healthcare Financing Technical Working Group, said the document would go a long way
in improving healthcare financing in Kaduna State.
Mr Ifedilichukwu Ekene-Innocent, the Advocacy, Campaign and Policy Manager of Save the Children International,
said KSHFPS would help the state to moblise the needed finances for the healthcare sector.
According to him, the move will significantly reduce out-of-pocket expenditure in the state.
Mr Mustapha Jumare, Citizens’ Co-chair, Kaduna Maternal Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM), commended the
government for developing the financing policy and strategy to address the problem of healthcare financing.
Jumare explained that KADMAM, a maternal health dialogue platform for government and citizens, would support
in tracking the implementation of the policy to improve service delivery at healthcare facilities. (NAN)
