Despite various initiatives by the Lagos state government to reduce maternal mortality, a recent report identified insufficient funding and inadequate manpower as major obstacles undermining progress.
The report titled: “Women’s Health Advocacy Brief,” carried out by Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI), Pathfinder International and supported by the New Ventures Fund, assessed women’s health funding in Lagos state. Key goals of the report include strengthening advocacy platforms, increasing domestic funding, reinforcing accountability, and amplifying women’s health issues through evidence-based media advocacy.
Findings of the report revealed that Lagos state, with a population of over 28 million, faces significant healthcare challenges. “Women in Lagos face numerous health challenges due to inadequate healthcare resources and gender inequality. Key concerns include reproductive health issues, heart diseases, cancers, and mental health problems,” the report disclosed.
On funding, the report explained that bureaucratic hurdles, budget approvals, and fund disbursement delays hinder effective utilization, adding that essential supplies are often unavailable due to funding limitations.
Citing an example, the report disclosed that the Lagos State Ministry of Health (LSMOH) approved N227,026,558 for family planning/reproductive health budget in 2023, but released only N81,578,438 of that figure.
The Lagos state programme coordinator, Pathfinder International, Margaret Chichi Nkire, while reacting to the report, at a roundtable dialogue on women’s health in Lagos state, said the report showed that there is more work to do, while reiterating Pathfinder International’s commitment to supporting the state government in ensuring improved maternal health outcomes for women and newborn health.
“We hope to see a strengthened and better accountability framework for women’s health programmes in Lagos state. We hope to see more release of the health budget to ensure that women get better health. We hope that at the end of this project, we will be able to see increased budgeting,” Nkire averred.
The chairman, PHSAI, Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, said family planning services are crucial in improving maternal health in the state, while calling on the permanent secretary of the Primary Health Care Board (PHCB) district 3 to create a budget line in the 2025 budget for training new family planning (FP) providers by December 2024.
The executive director, PHSAI, Abiodun Ajayi added, “It is very obvious that the Lagos state government has made progress in women’s health through various funding mechanisms and policies; however, challenges like insufficient funding, human resource constraints and cultural barriers persist. Enhancing partnerships, capacity building and advocacy efforts, alongside robust monitoring and evaluation will help us improve women’s health outcomes.’’
In her reaction, Mrs Olubukola Orukotan from the Lagos state Ministry of Health, said, though there are challenges, the state government has intensified efforts to address them.
“For instance, the state government has approved five (out of eight) of our proposals. We have commenced massive sensitization campaigns at various communities, as efforts to improve maternal and newborn health in the state,” Orukotan posited.
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