FG Disburses N32bn To Boost Primary Healthcare Services Nationwide

The Federal Government has disbursed N32 billion through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to enhance primary healthcare delivery across Nigeria.

This funding, allocated in the first half of 2025, supports over 8,000 primary healthcare facilities as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the sector.

The announcement was made during the 11th Expanded Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) meeting on the BHCPF, held in Abuja. At the meeting, the government reaffirmed its commitment to providing quality primary healthcare services through sustained investment in the BHCPF.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, highlighted that more than 37 million healthcare visits have been supported through the fund. He described this milestone as a significant step toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.

“This progress reflects our collective work across federal, state, and local governments, civil society, development partners, and the private sector. It aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the broader Renewed Hope Agenda,” Pate said.

The minister also pointed to recent fiscal reforms, such as executive orders to boost local healthcare manufacturing and the newly enacted tax reform bill, as steps toward building a more sustainable, self-reliant healthcare system.

However, he raised concerns about a treatment gap affecting around 50,000 Nigerians who have tested positive for tuberculosis but have not yet received care. He assured that the 2025 national budget contains targeted provisions to close this gap, supported by improved diagnostic capacity that has earned international recognition.

Pate also confirmed that local governments are now actively engaged in the national health compact, collaborating closely with state ministries and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to improve grassroots access to healthcare.

Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized the critical role of the MOC in fostering stakeholder collaboration and improving the implementation of BHCPF initiatives.

“Civil society involvement and better coordination across agencies are already producing tangible results. The president’s directive to unlock the health sector’s value chain is becoming a reality,” he noted.

Also speaking at the event, Ekiti State Commissioner for Health and Human Services and Chairman of the Health Commissioners’ Forum, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, praised federal and stakeholder efforts to upgrade the healthcare system. He said recent engagements among state health commissioners have focused on ensuring the 8,000 targeted facilities deliver essential services and supplies to communities.

“We’ve worked over the past six months with one goal in mind: to ensure that these facilities provide access to quality care and essential commodities,” Filani stated.

“Ultimately, we want to improve public health and productivity.”

The 11th MOC meeting, chaired by Prof. Pate, served as a platform to review BHCPF progress, adjust strategic priorities, and push forward with broader health sector reforms under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp). Stakeholders shared key updates, innovations, and plans to maximize the Fund’s national impact.