Health Budget Advocacy: What has been achieved so far?

This much we know, commitment to improving quality of care for mothers and babies in Sierra Leone is a national priority. We know this because more mothers and babies are surviving than ever before. Yet, we also know that in order for this progress to be sustained it is imperative that enough funds are allocated to health – a decrease in health budget could hinder the current progress being made. We also know this, the fate of sustaining life saving progress for mothers and babies not only lie in the hands of government, but also in the hands of every Sierra Leonean. Throughout 2013, the health budget tracking consortium worked tirelessly to advocate for the increase of funds for health. Health budget tracking scorecards were developed to highlight commitments, achievements and what is yet to be achieved. The scorecards were then distributed nationwide, at every district, by civil society organizations like Health for all Coalition (HFAC) and Health Alert who engaged community members, local councils and district health management teams (DHMT) on the importance of increased budget allocation to health. 200 budget tracking score cards were also distributed to parliamentarians, including the speaker of parliament, before the National Budget reading. The health budget tracking consortium continued to work towards better educating and creating wide spread understanding about the importance of allocation of more funds to the health sector as a measure to sustain the growth in quality care of Sierra Leone’s health care system; particularly in ensuring that more lives of mothers and babies are saved. The consortium sought support from the media by organizing a workshop for all the largest media mediums in the country to discuss issues surrounding budget tracking.  The relentless effort was not in vain. The government of Sierra Leone has committed to an increase in the total amount for health to 11.2% for 2014. Although this budget allocation has not being confirmed, it is still in the right direction. More work has yet to be done to increase transparency in tracking funds for health and its efficient disbursement into the health care system. We must continue to urge government to sustain its commitment to the health of all Sierra Leoneans, especially its mothers and babies. It is imperative that 1 in 21 women at risk of not surviving during childbirth be a statistic of the past.