FG Disburses N32bn to Boost Primary Healthcare Nationwide

The Federal Government has disbursed N32 billion through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to strengthen over 8,000 primary healthcare centres across the country.

This major investment, made in the first half of 2025, aims to enhance the delivery of quality healthcare services at the grassroots and marks a key milestone in Nigeria’s pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, made this disclosure at the 11th Expanded Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) Meeting on the BHCPF, held in Abuja. He stated that the fund represents a collective effort involving the federal, state, and local governments, civil society, development partners, and the private sector.

“This is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Health Sector Renewal Initiative and aligns with the broader Renewed Hope Agenda,” Prof. Pate emphasized.

He explained that the initiative is building momentum through strategic reforms, including the recent Presidential Executive Orders aimed at boosting local healthcare manufacturing and the newly enacted Tax Reform Bill. These steps are expected to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on external aid and establish a sustainable financial base for the health sector.

Addressing urgent health challenges, Pate highlighted a significant treatment gap involving about 50,000 tuberculosis patients who have yet to commence care despite testing positive.

He assured that the 2025 national budget includes targeted funding to close this gap, supported by enhanced diagnostic capacity that has earned international recognition for Nigeria.

The minister also noted that local governments are now fully integrated into the national health compact. This integration is enabling better coordination with state ministries of health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to improve healthcare access in rural and underserved communities.

In his remarks, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, reiterated the importance of the MOC governance framework in enhancing collaboration among stakeholders. He said this structure was essential to ensuring effective implementation across the various gateways of the BHCPF.

Dr. Oyebanji Filani, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services in Ekiti State and Chairman of the Health Commissioners’ Forum, praised the Federal Government’s renewed focus on healthcare.

He confirmed that recent engagements among health commissioners had yielded encouraging outcomes, particularly in ensuring the delivery of essential services and medical commodities to the people.

“We’ve spent over six months evaluating our objectives, and the goal remains clear—to ensure that as many facilities as possible are equipped to provide quality services and essential commodities,” Filani stated.

According to him, the ultimate aim is to ensure that Nigerians not only have greater access to healthcare but also enjoy improved health outcomes, becoming healthier and more productive citizens.

The MOC meeting, chaired by Prof. Pate, was convened by the Federal Ministry of Health to assess the progress of the BHCPF implementation. It also served as a platform to refine strategic direction and reinforce the ongoing reforms under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) to healthcare development in Nigeria.