By Rauf Oyewole
Stakeholders in Bauchi State have urged the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Mohammed Pate, to improve the governance of health financing and ensure transparency in the utilisation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
A group led by Dr. Yahaya Ibrahim, Director of the Andiwa Farmers Association, challenged the Ministry's handling of billions of Naira allocated to over 8,000 health facilities, demanding immediate action to educate citizens on their rights and the status of the funds.
Speaking in Azare over the weekend, Ibrahim highlighted the plight of rural populations, peasant farmers, and vulnerable communities, many of whom are illiterate and unaware of the financial allocations made for their healthcare.
"Rural people need to be educated more on how they will access health care facilities and to know the amount of money being kept for them at health facilities, since majority of them are illiterates, they don't even know the facilities where the ministry allocated their money," he stated.
He said that the Ministry has failed to respond to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by a civic technology organisation, BudgIT. The request, according to him, sought detailed information on the recent N32.9 billion third-round funding disbursement of the BHCPF.
Yahaya emphasised that the Ministry's silence "is against the rule of law," as the FOI Act mandates a response within seven days. He appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure compliance and transparency.
He added that BudgIT, through its tracking programme, Tracka, requested specific information to fulfill its oversight role: To publish the list of the 8,000 health facilities benefiting from the N32.9 billion. Announce the precise location (state and local government area) of each facility. Mention the exact amount allocated and disbursed to each of the facilities.
He also drew attention to critical issues in service delivery, demanding that the Minister ensure hospitals are well-equipped with needed radiologists and other test equipment.
He advised the Minister to seek support from secret security services to monitor personnel conduct and urged citizens to remove fear and actively complain whenever they observe system failures.
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