Fear of misappropriation of AIDS funds killed SACA in Kano

{jathumbnail off}Kano, one of Nigeria's most populated states, has not had a government agency for control of aids for over a decade because of scepticism over how funds for HIV/AIDS programme would be spent, an official has revealed. The state could not successfully establish a SACA agency because of the thinking that money for anti-HIV activities would not be 'used for buying drugs,' said Dr Shehu Abubakar, assistant director for primary health care in Kano.The thought was that 'it's just for officials to enjoy; that's why they are sceptical.'His comments came as he presented Kano's case at a review of primary healthcare in the northwest zone in Kaduna, organised by National Primary Health Care Development Agency and PATHS2.The absence of a SACA in Kano has raised concerns whether Kano can establish a state primary health care board, which it needs to access funds from NPHCDA, as provided in the yet unsigned National Health Bill.'I don't think what happened to SACA will happen to a state primary health care board,' Abubakar said in Kano's defence.Though establishing the board is still being delayed, he has insisted both cases are completely different.It's all in the nameIn the absence of a state agency for AIDS control, all anti-HIV activities in Kano were operated by mostly international donors and agencies.Most other health programmes are donor driven, a challenge to health care efforts in a state which has only 2.7 doctors and 14 nurses to every 100,000 population.Officials are concerned that Kano has only one each of a school of health technology, a nursing school and a midwifery school, considering its 11 million population.Enumerating challenges faced by Kano, Abubakar said the state still lacked bill for free maternal and child healthcare; had no budget for nutrition and health management information; and implementation of the national health insurance scheme is yet to commence.A health insurance scheme is yet to commence in Kano, but it ran into difficulties over its name forcing a change.The health insurance scheme was changed to health contributory scheme because people were 'not comfortable with the word insurance.'Abubakar noted that though there was no initial plan for monitoring and evaluation in budgeting, some N130m has been earmarked for M&E in coming fiscal year, showing a little hope.
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