By Folasade Akpan
The Federal Government says the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) has disbursed N339 billion to states in its 12-year existence, with N235 billion released in the last three years.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said the figure reflected intensified investments in primary healthcare under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Pate spoke on Friday in Abuja after chairing the 15th Expanded Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) meeting on implementation of the BHCPF and other health sector reforms.
He said the increased funding had accelerated expansion of primary healthcare services and improved access to essential health interventions across the country.
“In the last 12 years of BHCPF, N339 billion was disbursed to states, out of which N235 billion was disbursed only in the last three years.
“This shows the intensification of the effort to expand Primary Health Care (PHC) under this administration,” he said.
According to him, more than 8,000 PHCs across the 36 states have continued receiving funding through the BHCPF gateways.
He said the resources were channelled through primary healthcare agencies, health insurance authorities, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and emergency medical services.
Pate said the investments had resulted in increased utilisation of healthcare services and expansion of emergency medical treatment nationwide.
He said 35 states had established emergency medical service structures, while two still depended on federal institutions for emergency medical response.
According to him, more than 130,000 Nigerians have benefited from emergency medical services financed through the BHCPF.
The minister said the MOC approved N32.88 billion as the second quarter 2026 BHCPF disbursement to sustain healthcare services nationwide.
He said the committee also approved modalities for the inclusion of private sector actors in the MOC to strengthen stakeholder participation in health sector governance.
The minister said the NCDC had continued supporting states in outbreak preparedness through the BHCPF gateway by strengthening surveillance, detection and response systems.
He said the Federal Government had approved disbursements to all 36 states to enhance preparedness against Ebola Virus Disease following recent developments in the African region.
According to him, preliminary 2026 sector performance results indicated improvements in key health indicators, including immunisation, maternal health and HIV services.
Pate said the National Primary Health Care Development Agency reported that more than 3,000 PHC facilities had been upgraded at various stages.
He added that assessments were underway to expand supported facilities from more than 8,000 to 17,600 nationwide.
Pate said preliminary findings from the 2026 Mini Demographic and Health Survey (Mini-DHS) showed encouraging improvements in population health outcomes two years after the National Health Sector Renewal Initiative commenced.
He said the survey recorded upward trends in antenatal care attendance, skilled birth attendance, contraceptive prevalence, immunisation coverage, child health and HIV services.
“The purpose was to see if we are making progress, and we are glad to see that there is progress. It means we have to double down,” he said.
Pate said health insurance coverage had expanded considerably under the current administration, adding that more than six million Nigerians had been added to health insurance rolls over the last three years.
According to him, enrolment increased from about 15 million beneficiaries at the beginning of the administration to more than 22 million currently.
Pate said more than 48,000 women had received free comprehensive emergency obstetric services funded by the Federal Government and that many beneficiaries would have struggled to pay for life-saving interventions, including caesarean sections.
According to him, the services were provided through 237 participating health facilities nationwide.
The minister said the Federal Government’s Free Fistula Programme had provided surgical repairs for more than 4,771 women, adding that the beneficiaries had also been rehabilitated and successfully reintegrated into society after treatment.
Pate added that more than 2,900 newborns had benefited from the government’s neonatal health programme.
He reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to strengthening accountability, improving coordination and ensuring efficient utilisation of health resources toward achieving Universal Health Coverage.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru