Coalition Decries Delay In Release Of Maternal, Child Health Funds

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), government officials and media practitioners under the Kano State Led Accountability Mechanism (KanSLAM) has expressed concern over delays in the release of funds allocated to maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in Kano State.

The group raised the concern at a media parley on preventing maternal and child mortality held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Kano, warning that the situation has adversely affected health outcomes for women and children.

KanSLAM co-chair, Maimuna Yakubu Muhammad, said delayed and inadequate funding is undermining key services, including child spacing and family planning.

She stressed that funds appropriated for health programmes must be released promptly and utilised strictly for their intended purposes.

While commending the state government for meeting the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration benchmark for health sector funding in 2026, she noted that allocation alone was insufficient without timely release and effective utilisation.

Muhammad also called on the media to intensify advocacy and public enlightenment on maternal and child health issues, particularly the importance of family planning.

In a presentation, KanSLAM consultant Sulaiman Ismail said increased budgetary allocations to the health sector had yet to translate into improved service delivery due to gaps in fund releases and implementation.

He said the health sector accounted for 13 per cent of the state budget in 2024, declined to 12 per cent in 2025 and rose to 15 per cent in 2026.

“Despite the increase, inconsistencies in fund releases and low execution of capital projects continue to hinder effective service delivery,” he lamented.

Ismail further said that MNCH, reproductive health and family planning programmes were embedded within primary healthcare, making it difficult to track funding and assess impact.

He identified other challenges, including population growth, inadequate funding for family planning, limited data availability and reliance on donor support.

He recommended the timely release of funds, population-based budgeting and improved transparency to enhance accountability and reduce dependence on donors.

Also, the Kano team lead of the Task Shifting Task Sharing (TSTS) project at Pathfinder International, Gombe Ibrahim, stressed the need for sustained stakeholder engagement to ensure accountability and reduce maternal and neonatal deaths.