LISDEL Joins Nigeria Health Watch to Train Journalists on the Use of Health Security Accountability Framework

LISDEL’s Program Manager Damilola Ademuyiwa on Tuesday 27^th February 2024 facilitated a training session for journalists on health security financing accountability during the Prevent Epidemics Naija Media Fellowship organized by Nigeria Health Watch with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI). The workshop was tagged ‘Strengthening Media Reportage on Budget Accountability for Health Security’.

Damilola expressed the need for accountability as the only means to ensuring efficient utilization of available resources towards attaining universal health coverage – a desired destination of all health systems that cannot be achieved outside of a strong health security system.

He elucidated this using the accountability theory of change which is made of three components – transparency, answerability, and controllability. According to him, public institutions, including those making decisions on health security, have a duty to be transparent, accountable, and ready to make changes.

He noted that these are the principles that informed the development and guide the use of the citizens-led health security financing accountability framework which has been operational since 2018 but has recently been revised and optimized to aid usage. He took the audience through the layout of the framework from the financial segment to the policy and cross-cutting segments. With this illustration, he showed how the revised framework, which is in the process of adaptation by agencies of the government, is now programmed to flag accountability and advocacy issues across key standardized indicators.

Damilola explained that the framework, though citizens-led, can be used by a wide range of stakeholders – including government executives, legislators, advocates, and media practitioners. In closing, Damilola encouraged the journalists to access the innovative tool to access critical evidence towards media reporting and media advocacy for improved and accountable investment for health security in Nigeria. This he explained will strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to adequately prevent, detect and respond to public health emergencies.

In her keynote speech at the training, LISDEL’s Executive Director Mrs. Juliana Abude-Aribo charged journalists to be attentive & demanding in their information gathering when reporting health security financing.

Contributed by Olympus Adebanjo | LISDEL.