Health Campaigners Laud 10.5% Budget Allocation to the MoHS
World Vision, Save the Children, Oxfam GB, Evidence for Action and Budget Advocacy Network have lauded the 10.5% Budget Allocation made to the MoHS of the 2013 National Budget. (Photo: Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr Kaifala Marah has announced the 10.5% allocation to the Health Ministry in Parliament)
This represents an increase of over 3% allocated to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) from the 7.4% allocated in 2012 despite competing priorities confronting the government. On 21st December, 2012, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr Kaifala Marah has announced the 10.5% allocation to the MoHS in Parliament.
Campaigners are optimistic that this new trend of the national budget allocatedto the MoHS will form the base from which the government will plan to achieve the targets of the Abuja Declaration of 2001.
Heather Kerr Save the Children’s Country Director says the increment marks a concrete step taken by the government to address health issues of women and children in Sierra Leone.
Ms Kerr appealed to the government and development partners to maintain this trend noting that predictable funding for the health system will effectively address preventable deaths of women and children.She pointed out that Free Health Care, for instance,needs serious investment to increase access to health facilities by pregnant women, newborns and children under five by 40% to the meet the needs of ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
She therefore urged the new government to see this 2013 allocation as the beginning of a sustainable process.
Leslie Scott, World Vision International’s National Director, thanked the government for this increment stressing that a viable and effective health system depends on heavy investment in itshuman resources.
He noted that this increase will boost development of the human resources such as training of community health workers that are critical to dispense quality health services across the country.
Sofia Goinhas, Oxfam GB’s Deputy Country Director, noted that the 10.5% allocation to the MoHS is welcome and said that health and sanitation, including hygiene promotion requires significant investment if, Sierra Leone, is to enjoy better health and a decrease in diarrhoeal disease.
Ms Goinh assured the government to equally prioritize sanitation and hygiene and work towards allocating the 1% percent of the GDP, in line with thetargets established in the e-Thekweni declaration, and reaffirmed in the ‘Sanitation and Water for All’ meeting in Washington DC in April 2012.
For the past couple of yearsthe budget allocation to health and sanitation had dwindled,making it very unrealistic for the MoHS to dispense quality health services. In 2010 the MoHS received 7.4% of the national budget, 11% in 2011 and 7.4% in 2012.
Ambrose James from Budget Advocacy Network said the 10.5% increase marks the beginning of a herculean task facing the government to achieve the 15% allocation stipulated. He stressed that as the time line approaches government must prioritize spending on health if the country is to reduce the under five and maternal death burden.
“Dr Mohamed Yilla, Country Director Evidence for Action (E4A), said more Government spending on health is particularly good news, and offers a real chance to save the lives of more mothers and babies in the country. In order to achieve this, he said, it is important to ensure that budget allocations are ring-fenced, with budget tracking systems developed at grassroots level to ensure that impact can be fully realised’.
As the 2015 deadline for the Abuja target of 15% draws nearer, the government and its development partners in Sierra Leone face a huge challenge.Other African countries have already achieved this level,and although the increment is welcome by everybody, more needs to be done if Sierra Leone is to achieve the remaining 4.5% in two years time.
The health campaigners believe the government can achieve the 15 % allocation from the rapidly expanding mining sector and other sources of income. More resources have to be provided to improve the health of society’s most vulnerable women and children for Sierra Leone to improve its under five and maternal health indicators, one of the worst in the world.
Saidu Bah
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