A senior health official in Kano State has said that bureaucracy, knowledge gaps among stakeholders, and weak systems are slowing access to health emergency preparedness funds in the state.
The State Epidemiologist, Dr Suleiman Illiyasu, made this known during a key informant interview conducted under a three-day capstone project by Connected Development through its Follow The Money initiative.
He explained that although funds under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) are available at the national level, accessing and fully utilising them at the state level remains a major challenge due to administrative bottlenecks and limited technical capacity.
“Definitely, knowledge gaps among stakeholders are one of the key problems. We need to bridge the gaps through training and retraining of people at all levels,” Dr Illiyasu said.
He added that poor coordination and a lack of regular engagement among implementing actors also affect the smooth implementation of health financing programmes.
“Even accessing and utilising the money is very important. If people are well trained and understand the system, it becomes easier to access and use the funds,” he explained.
Illiyasu also called for stronger monitoring systems and digital tracking tools to improve transparency and accountability in health fund management.
“We need dashboards and proper systems to track utilisation. Sometimes, we don’t even know what is happening until someone comes for supervision,” he said.
According to him, irregular supportive supervision and weak feedback mechanisms are also slowing progress.
“Whether the funds are used or not, without regular supervision and feedback, it becomes difficult to improve the system,” he added.
On bureaucratic delays, the epidemiologist said frequent changes in key officers and administrative processes make it harder to sustain continuity in health programmes.
“You may start working with a system, and before you know it, officers are changed. That affects progress and delays implementation,” he said.
He further noted that while Kano has made efforts in health preparedness, including improving emergency response structures, the current funding level is still not enough for the state’s growing population.
“The funding is there, but it is not enough. With the increasing population and migration into Kano, what we are getting cannot fully meet the demand for emergency preparedness,” he said.
Earlier, the lead project officer of Connected Development’s Follow The Money initiative, Muhammad Gimba, called for stronger monitoring of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) implementation in Kano State.
According to him, improved accountability will ensure better health outcomes at the grassroots.
“The Capstone Projects under Follow The Money 2.0 are designed to track how BHCPF is implemented and to strengthen accountability within the health financing system,” he said.
He noted that while Kano has existing structures supporting health security, more attention is needed to ensure funds reach intended projects and that vulnerable communities benefit fully.
“We are engaging stakeholders to ensure that health security structures like the NCDC gateway and BHCPF mechanisms are properly understood, effectively monitored, and that citizens can also track these projects,” Gimba added.
