The Commissioner of the Anti Corruption Commission Joseph Kamara has officially launched the country’s Health and Sanitation Budget Tracking survey 2012 that expresses serious concern at the decline in proportion of Government budget allocated to the health sector.
The launching was held at the Hill Valley Hotel yesterday, 11th October 2012, with funds from World Vision, Save the Children and Oxfam.
Commissioner Joseph Kamara described the survey as a ‘right step’ in the development of democracy and good governance of the country, stating that it provides for civil society members to do a routine monitoring into Government’s allocation to the health sector.
Joseph Kamara said health issues are basic ‘human rights’ which our 1991 constitution of section 32 makes provision for but however noted that to every right, there are equal corresponding responsibilities that looks into what is required of individuals.
The Commissioner said citizens are responsible to ensure the monitoring of all Government investments and donor funds that come into the country.
The Commissioner informed the audience of their partnership and the just- concluded training for Health for All Coalition for effective monitoring of the ‘Free Health Care Services’ around the country.
He said Government investments in the 19 councils is too much and has created a lot of discrepancies, so systems need to be put in place.
Chairman of the launching and Country Director of Action Aid, Mohamed Sillah, said the present Health and Sanitation status in the country has a lot of obstacles because the free health care policy has a targeted category and that, yet still they are faced with a lot of challenges.
He said investment into the health sector by government will create significant changes in the country health status.
Mr. Mohamed Sillah said there is nothing like ‘Government money’ as all money used by government is tax payer’s and donor funds to be used on the people’s felt needs.
He called on every Sierra Leonean to help in monitoring health issues and help in advocating an increase in budget allocation to the Health ministry.
The lead surveyor, Marc Faux said that the introduction of free health care by government has made some progress in the health sector but however there are some loopholes, especially with the recent cholera outbreak.
He said to meet the Abuja target of 15% of budget allocation to Health, government in 2012 allocated 7.4% of budget to healthcare and sanitation.
“Proportionately, this was less than what government allocated to health in 2009, as sanitation was seen to be chronically under-funded with spending consistently falling from 0.027 percent in 2010 to 0.018 percent in 2012,” he stated.
He said their survey will make very effective tools to non state actors to hold government on account of their promise.
By Mohamed Kabba
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