Minister Commends Bauchi for Appropriating 16% of Budget to Health

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The Minister of Health, Professor Issac Adewole, has commended the Bauchi State Government for appropriating 16 per cent of its budget to the health sector, saying it is an effort targeted at providing quality and affordable health care for its citizens in line with the goals of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

He said the All Progressives Congress (APC) manifesto was clear on its commitment to the health sector, “and in line with this commitment, Bauchi State appropriated 16 per cent of its budget on health which is an improvement and commendable”.

Adewole, who was speaking in a special remarks at a two-day National Health Dialogue held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja Friday, said health is a basic human right that is not negotiable.

The two-day National Health Dialogue, which was organised by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) in collaboration with the Project for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) and the Project Pink Blue, drew participants from Bauchi, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger and Oyo States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), among others.

According to the minister, the goal is that 80 per cent of the country will have access to health services near their houses, but however noted that everybody should be held accountable for poor service delivery both at federal, state and local level.

Details later…