Speaking at the PATHS 2’s end of programme dissemination, the permanent secretary in the ministry of health, Linus Awute, noted that PATHS 2 has helped to complement government efforts in strengthening health system, governance, improved transparency in budgetary allocation and management of funds.
The permanent secretary, who was represented by the director of planning, research and statistics, Dr Ngozi Azodo, added that PATHS 2 championed development in health and made the three northern states take ownership of their own health system.
Earlier, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), Nigeria Head of office, Ben Mellor, said that with the successes recorded in Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna, the DFID would want to sustain the programme but under a different name known as Maternal, Neonatal and Child programme.
According to him, significant progress has been witnessed with inputs in the sector yielding positive results, adding that Nigeria has about 29 days to eradicate polio, while addressing the issues of regional inequalities.
The national programme manager, Mike Egboh, said the government needs to look into sustaining what PATHS 2 has put in place and repeat the models in other states witnessing the successes achieved.
The senior adviser to the World Bank, Dr Oluwole Odutolu, in a brief remark, pointed out that PATHS 2 is unique in its dealing because it was able to show value for the money it was given.
His words, “They were able to show how funds were spent, but what is most disturbing is the way funds are being distributed; 60% given to the tertiary, 20% to the secondary and 10% to the primary health care, this is all wrong.”
“The paradigm is all wrong; it should be the other way round. Focus should be on the output of the health system, the services that these PHCs are giving out, we need to focus on their performances, we need to stop looking at the input and concentrate on the output.”
Dr Mohammed Abdullahi Kenuwa from Jigawa State revealed that with PATHS 2, they were able to improve their human resources from 24 medical doctors to 250 medical officers and from 17 midwives to 360 midwives.
“PATHS 2 helped us improve the policy development, helped us increase budgetary allocation for health from 9% to about 14% in 2012.”
