By Longtong Ibrahim

Kaduna (Nigeria) – Speaker of the Kano state House of Assembly Kabiru Al-Hassan Rurum, has assured that Kano state legislators would work in collaboration with the state government in achieving the 15% allocation of state’s budget to fund the health sector in 2017.

The speaker gave the assurance while declaring open a two day advocacy retreat for Kano State legislators, organized by Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR) in collaboration with Partnership For advocacy In Child and Family Health (PACFaH) on Thursday in Kaduna. The theme for the retreat was ‘Double Digit Health Sector in 2017’.

Majority leader of the House, Yusuf Attah who declared the retreat open on behalf of the Speaker, noted that the state has achieved its double digits budget for health sector, and it hopes to achieve more than the 15% allocation of the Abuja declaration (that all state should commits 15% of its budget to health sector).

He said, “I wish to assure you that Health sector has always been our priority and we will stop at nothing to ensure that it remains so.

“My dear participants let me remind us that the legislative assembly, especially the 8th Kano State House of Assembly has been working in close collaboration with the State Government under the stewardship of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to ensure improved delivery of health services. In this respect, the state government is making significant investments in health and health related projects.

“New hospitals are being constructed while old ones are undergoing serious rehabilitations. Significant number of health workers have been employed, trained and posted to various duty posts. Government is equally undertaking expenditures aimed at providing safe drinking water and clean environment, both of which have health implications,” he added.

He however described the retreat as timely saying it came at a time they are about to receive the 2017 budget from the executive.

Speaking earlier, the Project Director of CHR, Aminu Magashi Garba said the essence of the two day retreat was to provide participants with information that could help them provide adequate funding for the health sector in the 2017 budget, noting that, budget processes has begun and now is the right time to engage them.

According to him, “Over the last five years in Kano state, the health sector budget is around 9%. So this is the right time to advocate to the Assembly to ensure that in 2017 we have a double digit – from 10% upward.  We want to ensure the state meets up with the Abuja declaration that all states should allocate 15% of its budget to the health sector.

“So we felt this is the right time to engage the law makers since the 2017 budget has not gotten to the Assembly. So we will review the 2016 budget performance in the health sector – the achievements, challenges and make recommendations to carry for 2017.

“We will also look at in 2017, what are the government priorities in addressing the health sector in Kano state such as life saving drugs, immunization, human infrastructure, laboratory services and capacity building for the health sector.

Garba however noted that the retreat concentrated on health because it encompasses all other aspect of life, as such, all government should invest and make health sector its first priority.