Resource Type: Report
Published: August 2018

Resource Description: In a bid to improve the health outcomes, Nigeria and many countries have subscribed to the principle of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) which is aimed at ensuring equitable access to needed health care without inflicting financial hardship on health system users. Akwa Ibom State, like many other states, is in the process of embracing health financing policy reform thrust introduced at the national level in order to achieve more money for health and more health for the money. The state has therefore keyed in to health financing policy reform thrusts including decentralization of health insurance scheme that will usher in State Supported Health Insurance Scheme, PHC management integration policy called PHCUOR (in process), Revitalization of PHC for UHC policy and other laudable policy thrusts.

However, it is increasingly recognized that public funding will play a crucial role towards achieving UHC and efficiency of public spending on health is as important as the volume of the resources; in order words, more money for health and more health for the money are the key intermediate objectives on the path towards UHC. To understand the magnitude and flow of health resource which will enable the state to put available meagre resources into better utilization, the USAID funded Health Finance and Governance Project embarked on Public Expenditure Review (PER) in collaboration with the state stakeholders. A public expenditure review (PER) analyzes government expenditures over a period of years to assess their consistency with policy priorities, and what results were achieved.