Photo caption: Members of the advocacy team and the Transition Commiittee Chairman, Dr. Waziri Dogo
MamaYe Nigeria, through its State-Led Accountability Mechanism (SLAM), called Bauchi State Accountability Mechanism for MNCH (BaSAM) which is a coalition of CSOs, government and other stakeholders in the health system, is setting the platform for the incoming administration in Bauchi State on maternal and newborn health improvement.
The chairperson of the advocacy sub-committee of BaSAM led a team to a successful advocacy event with Dr. Waziri Dogo, Chairman, Health sub-committee of the Bauchi State Transition Committee.
At the event, the chairperson, Hajiya Yagana Mohammed, who is also the Ameerah (leader) of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association of Nigeria, presented a paper addressing a key issue, titled "Inadequate budgetary allocation and irregular release of budgeted funds for the health sector in Bauchi State".
In her paper, Hajiya Mohammed cited the downward trend of the health budget from 2009 to 2014 and the attending poor MNCH health indices from the 2008 and 2013 National Demographic Health Survey reports.
She therefore appealed to the Chairman and his committee members to bring this issue to the attention of the incoming administration, affirming that the BaSAM is ready to partner with the coming administration to ensure accountability of resources allocated to the health sector through budget performance tracking.
Dr. Dogo, in his response, commended the advocacy team for being the only group that felt the need to talk to his committee. He also expressed confidence that the issues raised by the team would be taken seriously and carried forward.
Dr. Dogo recounted his sojourn to many communities in the North while working at the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Scheme supervising health facilities. He said that the poor health indices in the north, especially in maternal and newborn health, are dragging the country downward.
He recounted a personal story of how he delivered his own daughter of her pregnancy when the service providers at the facility were incapacitated. He added that the Nigerian government is not bereft of good plans, but poor implementation of those plans and so leads to the poor performance seen/experienced in the health sector.
While committing his committee to recommending what was advocated for, he also urged members of BaSAM not to relent on their efforts. He said the period of political campaign is over, it is now time for governance.
His words: "If Government is not doing what they are supposed to do, SHOUT!"
He then assured BaSAM that the visit would form part of his report to the transition committee. Several NGOs, CSOs and the media, who will continue the advocacy with the new government officials to ensure that the health of mothers and babies in Bauchi State remains a priority, were part of the event.