Francis Sardauna in Katsina
A Non-governmental Organisation, Access to Medicines Initiative (AMI), has called on the Katsina State Government to establish a dedicated budget line for family planning commodities in the 2027 fiscal year amid declining donor funding for reproductive health programmes in the country.
The organisation said the provision of the budget line would ensure the sustained availability of reproductive health commodities and improve access to quality and efficient maternal healthcare across the state.
The National Focal Person of AMI, Dr. Musa Abdullahi Sufi, made the appeal during the dissemination of the domesticated national guidelines for state-funded procurement of family planning commodities workshop held in Katsina on Thursday.
With the theme, ‘Strengthening Government Ownership and Sustainable Financing for Improved Access to Childbirth Spacing Commodities in Katsina State’, the one-day workshop was organised by the state Ministry of Health with support from AMI and SIDES.
He explained that the creation of a budget line would ensure adequate funding for the procurement and distribution of family planning commodities, reduce dependence on donor funding and improve reproductive health.
Sufi, who is also the founder of Sustainable Innovation and Development Solutions (SIDES), said when the budget line is created, the state government should ensure timely release of the allocated funds.
He further disclosed that inadequate domestic financing remains a major challenge to the availability of family planning commodities in many health facilities across the country.
He said: “We want the Katsina State Government to create and protect a dedicated budget line for family planning commodities and ensure timely and complete release of the allocated funds.
“Enforce fully transparent, standardized procurement processes, mandate data-driven decision making, and commit to zero avoidable stockouts across all facilities in the state.”
He, however, encouraged participants to sustain public awareness campaigns to address misconceptions surrounding family planning and encourage voluntary uptake of modern contraceptive methods.
While declaring the workshop open, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Musa Adamu Funtua, said the state government was committed to strengthening funding for child birth spacing commodities.
He noted that the dissemination of the domesticated national guidelines underscores the state government’s efforts in institutionalising sustainable financing for family planning programmes and improving maternal and child health.
He reaffirmed the Governor Dikko Umaru Radda-led administration’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery through increased investments in primary healthcare and maternal and child health services.