A coalition of health stakeholders has called on the Lagos State government to significantly increase funding for women’s health services.
The plea came during a forum organised by the Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI) where participants highlighted the challenges hindering access to maternal and reproductive healthcare in the state.
A new report tagged: “Women’s Health Advocacy Brief for Lagos supported by PHSAI and Pathfinder also acknowledged government efforts in women’s health funding but called for improvement as participants in focus groups reported insufficient funding, causing implementation delays of projects.
The report which also discovered challenges in accessing and utilising funds in the state, said bureaucratic hurdles, budget approvals and fund disbursement delays hinder effective utilisation. It also found that essential supplies are often unavailable due to funding limitations.
According to the report, a total of 227,026,558 was approved for family planning /reproductive health budget in the state in 2023 but only N81,578,438 was released.
The report which noted that transparent and accountable fund allocation was critical, it added that the State government has made progress in women health through funding mechanism and policies. However, challenges like insufficient funding human resource, constraints and cultural barriers persist.
“Enhancing partnerships, capacity building and advocacy efforts, alongside robust monitoring and evaluation will improve women’s health outcomes.”
Speaking, at the presentation of the report to the media in Lagos, the stakeholders maintained that despite progress made by the government in women’s health, issues such as insufficient funding, human resource constraints, and cultural barriers persist.
To address these challenges, they recommended increased funding, strengthened partnerships, robust monitoring and evaluation, and intensified cultural sensitisation.
Speaking, the Chairman of PHSAI, Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, emphasised the rapid population growth in Lagos and the urgent need for effective family planning services.
He called for the full implementation of the Lagos State Health Agency law, which mandates a 1 per cent allocation of the state’s consolidated revenue fund to the equity fund for vulnerable populations.
He also called for the need to create a budget line for training of family health providers.
Speaking, Chairman, Interfaith Public Health Advocacy, Lagos, Dr. Mrs Ajoke Sariyu Ashiru said urged the government to collaborate with the religious leaders on women issues.
On her part, the Lagos state program coordinator, Pathfinder International, Margaret Chichi Nkire said the are supporting the government by ensuring that they strengthened accountability framework.
“We are working on this project, which has a project goal to ensure that we have better maternal health outcomes for women and newborn health. We hope to see a strengthened accountability framework for women’s health programs in Lagos State.”
The Lagos State Ministry of Health, represented by Mrs. Orukotan Olubukola, acknowledged the challenges and outlined ongoing efforts to address them, including the procurement of family planning commodities and the upcoming maternal, child, newborn, and elderly health week.
While commending the government’s initiatives, the stakeholders urged for sustained commitment and increased investment in women’s health to achieve optimal outcomes.
The coalition expressed optimism about the potential for positive change and pledged to continue advocating for the rights and well-being of women in Lagos State.
The healthcare providers, including representatives from primary healthcare centres, decried the shortage of staff and essential commodities, hindering the effective delivery of maternal and child health services.
They also called for improved working conditions and adequate remuneration for healthcare workers.
