……in their 2025 capital projects budget allocations.
Daju Kachollom, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has charged Heads of Agencies and Federal Tertiary Health Institutions under the Ministry to concentrate on projects and programmes that will deliver government’s priorities, in their 2025 capital projects budget allocations.
A statement signed by Mr. Alaba Balogun, Deputy Director (Information & Public Relations), revealed, that the Permanent Secretary gave the advice while declaring open a two- day stakeholders’ workshop, on 2024 budget performance/bilateral session on 2025 budget preparation with Agencies and Federal Tertiary Health Institutions, held today in Abuja.
Kachollom highlighted the importance of the interactive session on effective budgeting to achieve desired results in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration stressing, “it is important also to note, that in allocating capital budget resources, we must concentrate on projects and programmes that will deliver government’s priorities.
In the words of Kachollom, “the objective of this bilateral discussion is to enable us align strategy with the effective budgeting, towards the delivery of the health sector mandate and to carefully scrutinize and justify your projects and programmes for which resources are to be allocated for.”
“This is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President for repositioning of the Health Sector as well as government’s development priorities as set out in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025.”
To this end, Kachollom enjoined participants and stakeholders to pay particular attention when designing projects and programmes of their respective agencies and institutions.
The Permanent Sec emphasized this by saying, “it is imperative to advise that during these difficult times, particular attention must be paid towards cost diligence. The projects and programmes costs must be tightly managed to ensure that people get value for money as envisioned in the mandate of the Ministry.”
In her welcome address, the Director of Finance and Account of the Ministry, Mrs. Bakre Modupe, stated that the issue of budget is very crucial and important as it gives room to plan, and know the resources to allocate to programmes and projects.
She added that the purpose of the meeting is to assess the Ministry’s performance in the Health sector for the year 2024 and look at how the Ministry will forge ahead better for the health sector.
“Yes, we may not be there 100% but we are working towards being there, and that is the essence of this so that we will be able to put together our thoughts, our needs, where we have gone wrong and amend.” She said
Presenting situation report on budget implementation and challenges from Hospitals, the Chairman Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary Hospitals, Professor, Emem Bassey, highlighted the three major mandates to include providing medical services, training and research, stressing, that there were inadequate budgetary provisions for them.
Prof. Bassey in seizing the opportunity of the forum, canvassed for special interventions in power supply to the institutions as well as adequate hospital infrastructures amongst other.
