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LAGOS – Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, Chairman of the Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI), has warned that funding gaps and weak accountability are undermining family planning and reproductive health services in Lagos State, threatening access to healthcare for women and vulnerable residents.
Adebusoye spoke at a roundtable meeting on Multi‑Level Advocacy for Sustainable Family Planning (FP) and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) funding held recently at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Ikeja. The PHSAI chairman said allocations alone were no longer sufficient without the prompt re‑ lease of funds. He stressed that Lagos remained significantly underfunded in family planning and reproductive health services despite its growing population and rising demand for health‑ care.
“We are very much under‑ funded in family planning and reproductive health services. Our budget has to be made more robust in line with the population of Lagos State. Not just allocation, but releases are even the biggest challenge,” Adebusoye said.
The event was organised by PHSAI under the Smart Advocacy for Strate‑ gic Action Alliance (SASA) Project, with support from Pathfinder International and the Gates Foundation. The project is being implemented in Lagos, Kano and Kaduna states to strengthen citizen‑driven advocacy and improve policy and funding accountability for women, newborn and child health. The meeting brought together government agencies, civil society organisations, media professionals and development stakeholders to identify key gaps affecting sustainable funding for family planning and maternal healthcare in Lagos.
Persistent Shortages Despite Free Services
The chairman noted that although Lagos intro‑ duced free family planning services in government hospitals in 2016 to support vulnerable residents, short‑ ages of commodities and consumables continued to hinder implementation. “If family planning com‑ modities are not available, that will be a challenge. If consumables are not avail‑ able, that is also a challenge. Government must increase budgetary support and en‑ sure funds are released on time,” he added.
He expressed concern that Lagos allocates only about eight per cent of its budget to health, far below the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration target, while releases to critical health programmes remain poor. Adebusoye also emphasised the importance of strengthening the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme, saying low enrolment and operational challenges were discouraging residents from accessing healthcare services. “All residents must be enrolled in the Lagos health insurance scheme, but the challenges must be addressed. That is why we are planning advocacy visits to LASHMA leadership to present feedback from residents,” he said.
Rising Burden On Healthcare System
PHSAI Programme Coordinator, Abimbola Olusegun, highlighted the growing pressure on Lagos’ health‑ care system due to its rising population and increasing demand for services. She described sustainable financing for FP and MNCH as “critical, not optional,” stressing that family planning reduces maternal deaths, unsafe abortions and child mortality while strengthening families and the economy.
Olusegun explained that Lagos currently operates a mixed financing model involving government funding, donor support and health insurance contributions, but noted that family planning funding remained inadequate. “Dedicated FP budget lines exist, but funding levels have remained stagnant over time. There are still release gaps, weak tracking systems and poor accountability mechanisms,” she said. She challenged stakeholders to identify missed opportunities in FP and MNCH funding and commit to immediate action that would improve outcomes for women and children across the state.
Widening Gaps In Consumables PHSAI Executive Director, Abiodun Ajayi, said the organisation convened the meeting to address widening gaps in support for family planning consumables across local governments in Lagos. He warned that failure to act quickly could worsen healthcare challenges in the future. “If we don’t take steps to address this gap now, it will eventually affect us later on. Before it gets beyond control, we should start addressing it now,” Ajayi said.
He disclosed that stakeholders at the meeting agreed to establish a CSO‑media coalition on FP and MNCH funding to intensify advocacy efforts and engage critical agencies, including the Ministry of Health, Primary Health Care Board and Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget. Ajayi also called on the Lagos State Government to prioritise women’s health and adopt technology‑driven systems to fast‑track fund approvals and releases. “The government needs to adopt technology. If the current manual process is not working, then we should use technology to reduce delays and improve efficiency,” he said.
Participants at the meeting agreed that stronger accountability, timely re‑ lease of health funds and increased investment in family planning and maternal healthcare would significantly reduce maternal and child deaths, improve access to quality healthcare and strengthen public health outcomes across Lagos State. They emphasised that with‑ out urgent and sustained government investment, the state risks falling further behind in meeting the healthcare needs of its rap‑ idly growing population.
