Chairman of Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative, PHSAI, Barrister Ayo Adebusoye has described the 2018 Lagos State health budget implementation as the worst 

 

in history.

 

Adebusoye who made this known during a media workshop on ‘Budget Monitoring and Analysis’ organised by Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, NURHI said that 

 

the 23 percent implementation amount to underperformance compared to what the state used to experience in the past.

 

“When the Lagos State government passed the N1.046 trillion budget for 2018, and health got N92.676 billion representing 8.86 percent of the entire budget, people were 

 

excited even though it was not up to recommended accepted 15 percent. It is very unfortunate and unacceptable that out of this N 92.676 billion, implementation is 23 

 

percent which is about N21.315 billion. 

 

Adebusoye who is also the Secretary General of the Nigeria Network of Non Governmental Organisations, said; “Breaking down the 

 

budget further, the state planned to spend about N40,000 on every Lagosian across board, with about N3,000 of this amount on health, at the long run what every 

 

Lagosian eventually got for health was not up to N1,200. “If we are to put it in perspective, what this simply means is that assuming 100 people living with HIV are to 

 

be care for by the budget, but on the long run only 23 percent are attended to. What it means is that the remaining 77 percent can go and die or infect people.”

 

On his part, the State Team Leader for NURHI in Lagos, Dr Edun Omasanjuwa however urged the state government to always prioritized health budget implementation so as to give Lagosians access to better and quality healthcare services. “Majority of health activities cannot be seen like infrastructure such as road and water, but it is an investment that help people to be healthy to carry out infrastructure project. “Healthy nation is wealthy nation and on this note we are calling for increase in health budget and implementation so as to guarantee access to quality healthcare services.”