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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has approved the disbursement of N32.88 billion under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to sustain the delivery of Primary Health Care (PHCs) services across Nigeria.
The approval was granted on Friday at the 15th Expanded Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) meeting of the BHCPF held in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed progress in the implementation of key health sector reforms and adopted measures to improve healthcare financing, governance and service delivery.
A media brief made available to journalists indicated that the Committee approved N32,880,443,906.25 as the Q2 2026 BHCPF disbursement to support healthcare services nationwide.
The meeting, chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, brought together representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, implementing agencies, state governments, civil society organisations and development partners to assess progress under the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).
Among the key decisions reached was the approval of modalities for the inclusion of private sector actors in the Ministerial Oversight Committee framework to broaden stakeholder participation in health sector governance.
The Committee also directed its Secretariat to formally communicate with all 36 states, reminding them of their obligations regarding counterpart funding and equity fund commitments aimed at strengthening healthcare financing.
The meeting reviewed implementation updates from various BHCPF gateways and national health programmes, including reports from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee (NEMTC) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
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Participants also received updates from development partners, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank, on ongoing interventions supporting Nigeria’s health sector reforms.
There was also discussions on improving accountability, ensuring sustainable healthcare financing, addressing operational challenges across implementation structures and strengthening coordination among institutions responsible for delivering health services.
The Committee stressed the need for stronger alignment of programmes under the SWAp framework, evidence-based decision-making, prudent resource utilisation and enhanced collaboration among stakeholders to accelerate implementation of ongoing health sector reforms.
Stakeholders further examined measures to strengthen the country’s emergency preparedness systems, including a review of existing molecular diagnostic laboratories and isolation centres to improve Nigeria’s public health response capacity.
The meeting further reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening health sector governance, enhancing accountability across implementing institutions and accelerating reforms aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said it remains committed to ensuring the efficient utilisation of public health resources and expanding access to equitable, affordable and quality healthcare services for all Nigerians.
Established under the National Health Act of 2014, the Basic Health Care Provision Fund serves as the Federal Government’s flagship health financing mechanism for strengthening primary healthcare services and expanding access to essential healthcare, particularly for poor and vulnerable populations.
