The federal government has approved N25.8bn for disbursement from the Basic Health Provision Fund (BHCPF), for the upgrade and expansion of primary healthcare centres nationwide.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate stated this after the meeting of the Ministerial Oversight Committee for the BHCPF.
Prof. Pate states that the federal government was committed to improving the health of Nigerians and enhancing healthcare accessibility, affordability, and ensuring quality service delivery.
He added that the fund is meant to provide healthcare services at the grassroots level as well as health insurance for the vulnerable segment of society and will be channeled through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and National Health Insurance Authority.
The BHCPF was established under section 11 of the National Health Act as catalytic funding to improve access to primary health care.
The BHCPF is derived from an annual grant from the federal government of not less than one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, grants by international donor partners; and funds from any other source, inclusive of the private sector.
“We met with health sector agencies, state commissioners of health and development partners and we took a few decisions that are important in advancing our aspirations to expand the primary health care and social outcomes. One of them is to inaugurate seven technical working groups on various thematic areas that affect what we do in the Ministry of Health.
“We also approved the disbursement of N25 billion through the PHCPF channels to the states of the federation through the gateways NPHCDA and NHIA gateways.
“This is to provide them directly with facility financing as well as resources to be able to satisfy their own workforce and for the NHIA to be able to provide financial protection for vulnerable populations,” he added.
The minister said the committee agreed to inaugurate seven Technical Working Groups on various thematic areas that will appraise the content of what the government does in the health sector to ensure that they are qualitative.
