The Federal Government has approved the disbursement of ₦32.88 billion to states under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to boost primary healthcare services, emergency medical care, health insurance coverage and disease preparedness across the country.
The approval was announced by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, after the quarterly meeting of the Expanded Ministerial Oversight Committee, which reviewed progress on the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
According to a statement issued by the ministry, the funds will support ongoing health sector reforms being implemented under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).
Pate said the Tinubu administration had significantly expanded investments in primary healthcare since launching the NHSRII in December 2023, noting that ₦235 billion of the ₦339 billion released through the BHCPF over the past 12 years was disbursed within the last three years.
He described the increase as evidence of the government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
The minister said more than 8,000 primary healthcare centres across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory currently receive quarterly direct funding for essential medicines, healthcare services, emergency medical treatment, health insurance for vulnerable groups and disease outbreak preparedness.
He added that over 130,000 Nigerians had benefited from emergency medical services funded through the BHCPF, while 35 states had established emergency medical service structures. Benue and Imo states, he noted, currently depend on federal health institutions for such services.
On disease preparedness, Pate said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had continued supporting states to strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory capacity and emergency response for outbreaks such as cholera, Lassa fever and viral meningitis.
He also disclosed that the Federal Government recently approved additional BHCPF funding to help states prepare for potential Ebola Virus Disease outbreaks following reported cases elsewhere in Africa.
The minister said the government had upgraded more than 3,000 primary healthcare centres to Level Two status, while nearly 1,000 additional facilities are undergoing rehabilitation.
According to him, authorities are also assessing plans to expand the Direct Facility Financing programme from over 8,000 facilities to 17,600 primary healthcare centres, using an equity-based funding formula that reflects population size and disease burden.
Pate revealed that about 40 per cent of BHCPF allocations are currently dedicated to procuring essential medicines and health commodities.
He commended states that have provided counterpart funding and urged all state and local governments to meet their statutory funding obligations to strengthen primary healthcare financing.
The minister said preliminary findings from the 2026 Mini Demographic and Health Survey showed improvements in antenatal care attendance, skilled birth deliveries, contraceptive uptake, childhood immunisation, child healthcare and HIV interventions.
He added that health insurance enrolment had risen by more than six million people over the past three years, increasing total coverage from about 16 million to over 22 million Nigerians.
On maternal and child health, Pate said more than 48,000 women had received free comprehensive emergency obstetric care, including Caesarean sections, under the Federal Government’s maternal health programme.
He added that over 4,700 women had undergone free vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) repair surgeries across 207 health facilities, while more than 2,900 newborns had benefited from specialised neonatal healthcare interventions.
The minister also disclosed that over 40,000 vulnerable Nigerians had been enrolled in health insurance through a pilot programme jointly implemented by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the Global Fund.
Despite the progress, Pate acknowledged that the migration of healthcare workers from primary healthcare centres to higher-level hospitals remains a major challenge, particularly in the South-East, South-South and South-West.
He urged state governments to prioritise the recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, stressing that primary healthcare remains the backbone of Nigeria’s health system and largely falls under the responsibility of state and local governments.
Pate reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to working with states, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage and improved healthcare outcomes nationwide.
