The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS), in furtherance of its working visits to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the State, made a stop at the Ministry of Health on Friday, 5th March,2021.
The Executive Chairman, Shade Omoniyi, who led the team of Director of Admin and Operations, Olatunji Balogun, and other staff of the Service, reiterated that the visit aimed to promote productive partnership between KW-IRS and Kwara MDAs.
Shade Omoniyi expressed her anticipation that the meeting will birth decisions that will help both parties improve their working relationship, block revenue leakages, and meet the set budget of the State. She stated the setback experienced across the globe in the year 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant effects in the inability of the State to perform as expected. The Executive Chairman noted that the Service intends to have an all year Tax advocacy and Enforcement for the year 2021 across the State, to enable it to recover the loses of 2020 and put the State on a better standing.
Shade Omoniyi further solicited more cooperation and collaboration from the Ministry of Health, just as it has always been in the business of revenue drive for the State.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Abubakar Olayiwola Ayinla, while welcoming and appreciating the KW-IRS team, remarked that working with KW-IRS is what the Ministry has long accepted to do, to put the State where it should be in terms of IGR generation. “We are working for the same system and together we must ensure efficient delivery of all required of us,” said Dr.Ayinla.
He did not hold back to mention efforts of the State government in ensuring health care becomes more accessible and affordable in State and also the projects embarked on by the government to make lives much better for all Kwarans.
Dr. Ayinla added that the provision of appropriate and required equipment by the government and taking absolute ownership of facilities in the State will not only improve revenue generation but will also eliminate every personal interest that could hinder revenue growth for the State.
The Ministry further observed the need for KW-IRS to also strengthen its relationship with the Hospital Management Board by reviewing some cost of services being rendered in the hospitals, consider medical services running partially free at both the primary and secondary health centres in the State, utilize the revenue potentials in the newly built oxygen plants and other facilities in the State.
Brainstorming further on ways to improving the IGR of the State, both teams reviewed some pertinent issues, such as assistance in pushing for quick approval of the budget of the Ministry to carry out monitoring and inspection of health facilities across the State and attending to some serviceable equipment of the Ministry, particularly vehicles to aid movement and drive of revenue.
Other issues are the need to look into proper regularization of the engagement of the traditional medicine consultant currently driving that revenue line and the difficulty in curtailing the overlap of revenue lines between the State and Local Governments despite revenue harmonization of collection.
In her response, the KW-IRS boss disclosed efforts of the Service on the automation of collection processes to reduce human contact with cash by making POS available at payment points in hospitals. She further promised to discuss issues around overlapping revenue lines at the Joint Revenue Committee meeting with the Local Government Councils DPM and also consult with other required quarters with the hope of coming up with long-lasting and effective solutions.
The meeting of the Executive Chairman, KW-IRS and her team with the Permanent Secretary of Ministry Health had in attendance the Directors and Controller of Finance and Accounts of the Ministry.
Signed
Corporate Affairs Department, KW-IRS
5/3/2021