The federal government has approved the disbursement of over N32 Billion to strengthen Primary Health care facilities across the country and improve service delivery.
The approval was given at the 14th and the 1st Quarter 2026 meeting of the Ministerial Oversight committee of the Basic Healthcare Provision Funds in Abuja.
Speaking at the meeting, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate explained that the funds will be disbursed to BHCPF facilities based on the guideline that was approved in 2025, adding that the Ministry is planning to expand the the number of facilities benetting from the fund.
“We are on our way to expanding the facilities to 5,000 more that will be receiving direct facility financing” he said.
Pate stated that the meeting also considered increase of the tariff rates for Emergency Ambulances to compensate private and Public sectors that are providing the services.
He pointed out that immunization update shows that more than 102 million children were immunized during the largest integrated measles and rubella campaign, flagged off last year.
The minster noted that despite the progress made made by the country in crashing child and maternal mortality in recent times, the rate remains high hence the need to everything we can to further bring it down.
He said, “We are doing well in terms of efforts to improve maternal and child mortality, and disease outbreaks control. More than 200 disease episodes were reported in the last one year, and were stopped very early”.
He stated that the present administration is deliberately aligning financing with outcomes adding that BHCPF 2.0 ensures that resources translate into real improvements in service delivery, particularly at the primary healthcare level where most Nigerians access care.
Pate observed that there is widespread acknowledgement that the vision and wisdom of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make treatment of emergency obstetric services free, is touching real lives of women, announcing that more than 40,000 women have had emergency services reimbursed.
He said, ” We’ve also seen the free fistula program is reaching more than 4,000 women who have had their lives reclaimed. The reimbursement for neonatal care is also beginning, even though it’s too early to say. It’s important to note that the Comprehensive Emergency Management of Obstetric Services, the CEMO, Reimbursement for Complications of Obstetric Deliveries, appears to be doing very well.” Pate confirmed.
Pate stated that the quarterly meeting of the MOC discussed on the Basic Healthcare Provision Funds and the overall Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, confirming that a continuation of progress in multiple dimensions has been recorded.
“What we have seen is a continuation of the progress across multiple dimensions of primary health care, in terms of utilization, in terms of maternal mortality, in terms of immunization, the things that are moving along, and the resources that the government is disbursing through the BHCPF is getting to the facilities.” He added.
On his part , Minister of State, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said. “This is about outcomes Nigerians can see and feel safer deliveries, improved emergency response, and functional primary healthcare centres.”
The BHCPF is a core Federal Government financing mechanism designed to provide predictable funding, reduce out-of-pocket costs, and improve access to quality care, particularly for vulnerable populations.
At the meeting, gateway agencies; NHIA, NPHCDA, NCDC presented implementation updates.
Representatives of ALGON and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) also provided field-level insights and recommendations, reflecting progress in expanding service delivery, strengthening public health response, and improving financial protection for Nigerians as the country advances towards Universal Health Coverage.
A key focus was the accelerated rollout of BHCPF 2.0 under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), aligning financing, service delivery, and accountability mechanisms to deliver improved health outcomes nationwide, in line with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
The committee reviewed some Priority interventions which include: MAMII- driving targeted, data-led action to reduce maternal and newborn deaths,
HOPE PHC – improving service readiness, workforce capacity, and PHC performance, NHF (National Health Fellows Programme) – strengthening leadership, accountability, and delivery across the health system
Progress on the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS)PHC, alongside broader maternal and child health indicators, reinforcing emergency response and lifesaving care, were reviewed by the MOC.
