Foreign
By Anthony Isibor.
BudgIT and Connected Development, CODE, two Civil Society Organisations leading the COVID 19 Transparency and Accountability Project, CTAP in Africa, have commended the Government of Senegal on the immediate removal of Diouf Sarr, its Health Minister, following the fire incident which killed 11 newborn babies at a neonatal unit of the Abdoul Aziz Sy Dabakh Hospital in Tivaouane.
A statement on CTAP’s Twitter handle on Monday, June 6, 2022, and jointly signed by Iyanu Fatoba, for Budgit, and Seun Durojaiye, for CODE, the organizations stated that the incident “sets a good precedent for the government of Senegal and stakeholders to evaluate the country’s current inadequate investment in the health sector”.
It added that because there is no greater service than for a government to protect the governed; thus, the government must take proactive measures in curbing these unfortunate incidents, while creating an accountability framework for health system administration in the country.
CTAP also decried the incessant unfortunate and avoidable incidence in the country’s health sector even with the huge amount of money budgeted annually.
“While CTAP lauds the prompt removal of the minister, we posit that these commonplace incidents show the extreme weakness of the nation’s healthcare system.
BudgIT and CODE also call for improved funding in the health sector through collaborative support from the private sector and multilateral institutions.
“In 2001, African countries, including Senegal, pledged to invest 15% of their budgets in healthcare systems, respectively.
“However, in the last five years, the Senegalese government has only invested an average of 5% of its totol budget, falling below the standard to which all the countries in the union agreed,” it said.
It noted also that while both organizations commend this proactive measure by the government, the unfortunate incident is not the first in the country.
“A case in point is the story of a pregnant woman in Louga who lost her life because the hospital did not have the required resources to carry out a cesarean section. Another case in point documented in 2021 revealed that four newborns lost their lives in a similar hospital fire in Linguere, Northern Senegal”
BudgIT and CODE also commiserated with Senegal and all the families that have been bereaved by this unfortunate event.
A.I
Tags: BUDGIT CODE Connected Development Diouf Sarr Iyanu Fatoba Seun Durojaiye
