By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
United States Agency for International Development funded Integrated Health Program (USAID IHP) has commenced a Two Days workshop on Health Budget Tracking and Process targeted at Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Media in Bauchi State.
The workshop, holding at Chartwell Hotel in Misau Local Government of Bauchi State, draw participants from a coalition known as Bauchi State Accountability Mechanism for Maternal, New born and Child Health (BaSAM) and a Bauchi based NGO known as Journalists for Public Health and Development Initiative (J4PD).
In welcome remark the health financing advisor of USAID IHP Pharmacist Khalid Kasimu, said that he hope at the end of the workshop participants can effectively engage the government on the budget processes with a view to having a sound and realistic health budget document that translate to improved health care outcomes in Bauchi State.
“Because of the importance of this important document (Budget) and what other things we hope to see in it, we are going to push for approval in the fiscal year 2023 for the same activity. We want to continue the discussion on the health budget processes, execution and tracking”, said Pharmacist Kasimu.
Also speaking, the USAID IHP knowledge management specialist Boniface Kassam, said the objective of the meeting was to mentor members of BaSAM and J4PD on budget and expenditures and also deepen the knowledge of CSOs and the media on health financing.
Kassam also said that the workshop will expose the participants on budget process in order to engage critical stakeholders to ensure adequate budget lines and releases for the health sector.
Also in his remark, the Co-chair of BaSAM Abu John Yusuf said that it is heart-warming for BaSAM to invited and benefit from the workshop. He also assured USAID IHP on cascading the training to other members of the coalition.This, according to Yusuf, is to also carry other members of coalition along in adequately equipping them for engagement with stakeholders on health budget.
On her part, the State Coordinator of J4PD, Elizabeth Carr implore participants to pay attention on what resource persons would be taking them on.
She further expressed the readiness of J4PD to collaborate with BaSAM in giving it’s activities visibility aimed at creating awareness on their advocacy on health and other related programs.
“For us at J4PD, we are forever grateful to USAID IHP for building the capacity of the journalists over the years. This has really impacted on members of J4PD and has translated into creating more awareness on health related issues in Bauchi State.
Our correspondent reports that day one of the workshop saw participants being taken through topics around budget cycle processes and roles of CSOs and, media and Budget and Expenditure Tracking. There were also group work and presentations by participants.