By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Preparatory to the development of 2023 health budget in Bauchi State, a USAID funded program titled Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE), being implemented by Center for Social Justice (CSJ), in collaboration with a Bauchi based Civil Society Organization, Journalists for Public Health and Development Initiative (J4PD) have organized a One Day Validation meeting of pre-health budget memorandum for Bauchi State.
In his opening remarks shortly before presenting the draft pre-health memorandum at the conference hall of Hazibal Hotel on Tuesday in Bauchi, the State Capital, program manager of CSJ Mr. Martins Eke said that the objective of the meeting was to present the draft document to key stakeholders in Bauchi State with a view to scrutinizing it and to also capture their input before using it to engage policy makers, legislature and other principal stakeholders for improved health care services.
According to Mr. Eke, “the engagement may likely trigger a positive shift towards improving the realization of the right to health in Bauchi State and Nigeria at large, inline with the quest of attaining universal health coverage, sustainable and quality health care services”.
Mr. Eke expressed his hope that a more comprehensive document will emerge at the end of the validation meeting which will serve as “an advocacy document for improved health budget performance in Bauchi State”.
The program manager urged participants to be open in their inputs and observations, stressing that, “at the end of it all, it is going to be for the benefit and improvement of health status of Bauchi State citizens inline with global best practices”.
He then commended J4PD for bringing together key participants from relevant Government MDAs, CSOs and the Media.
Earlier in her welcome address the State Coordinator of J4PD, Ms. Elizabeth Carr thanked the participants for finding time to attend the validation meeting.
The coordinator also charged them to give valid contributions in order to have a rich document that could be use to advocate for improved health care services in Bauchi State.
She also pledged the resolve of J4PD to work with willing state MMDAs with a view to adding value geared towards the development of Bauchi State and the Country at large.
The One Day validation meeting of the Pre-Health Budget Memorandum attracted the participation of DPRSs of health related MDAs, some CSOs working on health and members of the Media.