From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The federal government has approved the disbursement of N32 billion to Primary Health Care (PHC) centres across the country as the implementation funds for the third quarter of 2025.
The government said the figure covers the cumulative allocations for April to June 2025, and it is expected to be disbursed by the end of August 2025 or as soon as the funds are released by the appropriate authorities.
The decision was announced at the 11th expanded Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) meeting on the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) in Abuja, chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.
In the communiqué of the meeting, the MOC ratified two critical disbursement approvals to ensure seamless implementation of the BHCPF in 2025.
“Firstly, the committee approved the application of N32 billion drawn from the first quarter 2025 budget release towards the implementation of BHCPF activities for both the first and second quarters of the year. This represents N16 billion allocated per quarter, in accordance with the provisions of the 2020 BHCPF guidelines, to ensure continuity and effective use of available resources.”
The Committee further noted that the revised BHCPF Guidelines 2.0, which received provisional approval at the 10th MOC meeting, have now been formally approved, adding that dissemination is scheduled before the end of Q3 2025, offering an updated framework to strengthen implementation, coordination, and accountability.
Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) reported that over N74.8 billion has been disbursed since the Fund’s inception in 2019, adding that as of Q2 2025, 2,649,221 beneficiaries have been enrolled under the BHCPF, with coverage across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) gateway, the MOC noted that 752 Programme Financial Management Officers (PFMOs) have been deployed, covering 98 per cent of Local Government Areas (LGAs).
“To date, 6,512 of 8,354 BHCPF-supported PHCs have been visited, reflecting 78 per cent active oversight, while 301 PHCs were revitalised in the last quarter, bringing the total to 1,163 completed facilities as of June 2025.”
On the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee (NEMTC) gateway, the MOC shared that 25 states have established Emergency Medical Services (EMS) structures, with 13 states and the FCT operational, and 12 additional states onboarded.
“To date, 2,890 beneficiaries have received emergency medical treatment under the EMS gateway, underscoring the growing reach of timely, life-saving care.”
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), at the meeting, emphasised continued integration of disease surveillance and health security functions within BHCPF-supported PHC platforms to strengthen early warning systems and outbreak response at the community level.
Similarly, the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Secretariat provided updates on harmonised sector-wide planning, joint sector reviews, and enhanced monitoring and evaluation frameworks that are supporting greater coordination and accountability across health actors.