THE State-Led Accountability Mechanisms (SLAMS) has expressed concern over the “poor funding” of the health sector, especially in the northern part of the country.

In a statement issued at the end of a one-day bi-annual general meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the body said the situation had resulted in several deaths of women and children.

According to the statement signed by Dr Ejike Oji, who chaired the meeting, participants pledged to sustain engagement with stakeholders to save the lives of women and children in the country.

The summit was organised by the Coalition for Maternal and New Child Health (C4MAN) and supported by the Maternal and New Child Health (MNCH2), a DFID funded programme in Abuja.

SLAMS is a voluntary body comprising civil society and government actors established to advocate for health sector budget at the state level.

It is currently supported in six states by the MNCH2 to facilitate the drive toward creating awareness on people’s expectations of government in the provision of a good health care system.

Participants in the meeting were drawn from the MNCH2-supported states of Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, Yobe and Zamfara, and the MAMAYE E4A-supported states of Gombe, Lagos and Bauchi, and other partners.

The participants maintained that with more attention given to the health sector, particularly at the Primary Healthcare level, there would be improvement in the quality of health in communities.

They also charged politicians to include their proposals on health care development in their manifestos as the nation approached the next general election in 2019.

They resolved to continue to engage government at all levels to implement the recommended allocation and timely release of at least 15 per cent of their annual budgets to the health sector. (NAN)

– Jun. 27, 2018 @ 12:09 GMT |