SolaceBase Data: How well are Kaduna, Katsina backing up ‘big’ budget for health sector with actual money?

By Aminu Abubakar

A budget performance review by SolaceBase has shown that in 2023, Katsina state spent only 31.5% of its budgeted health ministry appropriation.

In 2022, the state budgeted to spend the sum of N39.5 billion but only spent N23.5 billion. In the 2023 fiscal year, N33 billion was budgeted but the actual expenditure stood at N11.5 billion.

As of the first three months of 2024, Katsina state spent N2.5 billion of its full-year budget of N38.5 billion.

A review of the Kaduna state budget performance report also shows that in 2022, the sum of N37.1 billion was budgeted with an actual budget figure of N31.3 billion.

In 2023, the sum of N44.7 billion was budgeted with N26.3 billion spent at the end of the year.

As of the first three months of 2024, Kaduna state has only spent N4.2 billion of its N71 billion health ministry budget.

Concerns on Capital Expenditure Pattern

Data review has shown that in 2022, Katsina proposed to spend N31.3 billion on its health sector capital needs but only ended up spending N15.6 billion, which is 49% of the budgeted figure.

In 2023, it only spent N3.6 billion despite budgeting N24.1 billion for its capital needs. As of the first quarter of 2024, the glimmer of hope is small, with only N376 million spent on capital needs.

In Kaduna state, while the sum of N19.4 billion was spent on health sector capital needs in 2022,　the amount dropped to N13.3 billion in 2023.

There is a little glimmer of hope for 2024, as the state has only spent N1.2 billion capital expenditure for the first three months of 2024, despite proposing N53.1 billion total capital expenditure.

States Worrisome Expenditure Berths Poor Healthcare

Already in Katsina state, there have been concerns over the state of the state’s health sector.

For instance, the state’s medical association expressed concerns over shortage of manpower in the state health sector.

In 2021, it was reported that 40% of health centres in Katsina are understaffed and dilapidated.

This development may not be unconnected to the poor capital expenditure spending for the state health ministry, per budget performance report data.

Katsina state infant mortality rate is put at 66 for every 1000 live births, while Kaduna infant mortality rate stands at 97 per 1000 live births.

Only 33.3% of births are attended to by skilled medical personnel in Kaduna state, while maternal mortality stands at 512 per 100,000 live births, showing a huge gap in the state health sector.

SolaceBase recently reported on the lack of medical equipment availability at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Kaduna due to poor medical facilities availability.

There has been clamour on the need to prioritise healthcare development, especially for the northern region of the country.