The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has said the reason the federal government is unable to successfully plan and coordinate health service delivery has to do with its weak governance structures, poor human resource capacity and inefficient core processes.
He also expressed sadness at the inability of the Health Ministry to demonstrate expected results and ensure value for money in the delivery of health services.
Adewole made this known while speaking at the opening ceremony of a retreat aimed at strengthening the Ministry’s budget process and the capacity of the Department of Health Planning, Research & Statistics, which was organised in collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Health Systems Consults Ltd in Abuja yesterday.
He said: “A few years ago when we came in, I was presented with a report on public financial management, which showed the health sector as the least performer out of sixteen (16) ministries.
“Relatedly, I observed, that the capacity to plan and coordinate health service delivery was weak. These issues undermine the Ministry’s ability to demonstrate results and ensure value for money.”
The Minister, who noted that citizens expected those charged with managing the health system to deliver on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), expressed the belief that a fundamental change in the approach to the delivery of health services that recognizes and addresses the drivers of underperformance is required
According to him, “it is imperative to assess and strengthen the capacity of the Ministry to effectively lead national health planning, policy development, and overall health sector coordination.”
Adewole said that a review of the budget formulation, execution, and monitoring practices within the ministry was a desideratum.
Accordingly, he said the journey to strengthen the process has commenced and all hands must be on deck to achieve this.
He said the leadership of the Ministry is fully committed to achieving that goal and gave assurance of proper guidance.
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