Service: Stakeholder Advocacy Meeting

Advocacy visit to stakeholders were conducted in the state and focal LGAs to brief the stakeholders on Partnership for Accountability and Improved Primary Health Care Financing Project in Ebonyi State, share project deliverables and stakeholders roles and responsibilities and present report of baseline survey on PHC financing conducted at Project take off. The advocacy meetings were held between 21st March  5thApril, 2022 for Honourable members and Principal Officers of Ebonyi state House of Assembly(EBSHoA)at conference Hall, Ebonyi state House of Assembly (EBSHoA), for Executive Secretary and Directors of Ebonyi state Primary Health Care Development Agency (EBSPHCDA) at WOCHAD Office and for Honourable Commissioner for Health, Permanent Secretary and Directors of the Ministry at the Office of Honourable Commissioner and Permanent Secretary and the Directors of the Ministry at the Offices of the Honourable Commissioner and Permanent Secretary. The LGAs levels advocacy meetings were held at the respective LGA Chairman or his representatives Office or Council Hall on 22nd March 2022 for EzzaSouth, 23rd March 2022 for Ohaukwu, 24th March 2022 for Ikwo, 25th March 2022 for Ohaozara, 30thMarch 2022 for Abakaliki, 2nd April 2022 for Afikpo South and 5thApril 2022 for Ebonyi LGA..

During the Advocacy meetings, a total of 168 stakeholders (92 males, 76 females) were reached. At the State level,stakeholders reached included 13 stakeholders in EBSHoAwhich included Chairman and members of House Committee on Health and Women Affairs, Clerk, Deputy Clerks and other principal Officers. Key output was that WOCHAD elicited the support of the House Committee in ensuring favorable response to health/PHC budget and use of oversight function to monitor released budget utilization. In Ebonyi State Primary HealthCare Development Agency, a total of 7 persons attended which included; the Executive Secretary, 5 Directors, 1 PM and 1 Program Coordinator while in Ebonyi State Ministry of Health, a total of 8 stakeholders which included the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Permanent Secretary, 6 Directors and 2 Program Officers attended. Commitment elicited at the Agency and Ministry of Health included: support of the Ministry and Agency for the Project through active participation in activities, monitoring and follow up on focal LGAs and PHCs to ensure active participation in activities, facility support, and participation in budgeting, budget tracking, IGR remittance, quality services provision and monitoring.

Advocacy briefed and ask spelt out stakeholders roles and responsibilities. Key outcome was that the pledged commitments at these visits became a driving force for stakeholders to play their roles in the Project. It was for this reason that Ebonyi State ministry of Health and Primary Health Care development Agency and the LGAs actively participated in Project activities, development of monitoring tools and monitoring. In addition to key stakeholders involvement in activity monitoring, the Agency and LGAs released their LGAs M & e Officers to conduct monthly monitoring of focal PHCs and to participate in trainings and other activities. Key stakeholders of the state like Permanent secretaries, Executive secretaries, House of Assembly members and principal Officers, Directors of ministry of Health and Agency, LGA Chairmen, Supervisors for Health, Admin Secretaries etc attended PHC financing trainings, stakeholders meetings, prepared action plan to respond to identified gaps and actively participated and monitored conduct of activities on the action plan.