Tinubu defends N98bn PHC spend as Nigeria’s biggest grassroots health push

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday announced that his administration injected over N98 billion into Nigeria’s primary healthcare sector last year, marking one of the largest single-year investments in grassroots health services.

Speaking at the inaugural All Progressives Congress (APC) National Health Convention and Roundtable 1.0 in Abuja, the President described the move as a cornerstone of his Renewed Hope Agenda, urging APC governors and legislators to prioritise health budgets and accountability.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, the President revealed that the funds were disbursed via the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to over 8,300 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) nationwide.

“We have strengthened the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and consistently disbursed the quarterly allocation to primary health care centres, with over N98billion disbursed to support operational expenses for over 8,300 Primary Health Care facilities last year,” Tinubu stated.

This, he said, has fuelled the upgrade of 2,565 facilities—with another 1,456 under rehabilitation—and plans to expand to 5,212 more, bringing the total to over 13,500 centres.

He said upgraded PHCs now offer 24-hour services, staffed by trained workers and equipped with medicines, equipment, power, and water, targeting rural and underserved areas.

“Also, we are expanding this very critical sustainable domestic financing mechanism to an additional 5,212 primary health care centres to reach a total of over 13,500 facilities,” he added. “We have expanded health insurance coverage and provided it to over 10 million vulnerable individuals.”

Tinubu highlighted workforce gains: “In 2023, I tasked the Minister of Health with retraining 120,000 primary health care workers within 4 years. This is to empower them to deliver quality health care services to our people and also, to enable them compete with their counterparts across the world. In just two years, over 78,000 frontline health workers have been trained. These include doctors, nurses, midwives, CHEWs, and JCHEWs.”

The President spotlighted the Maternal Mortality Newborn Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), which has linked over 100,000 pregnant women in 172 high-burden local government areas to antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care with free emergency services. He also touted the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Health Care Value Chain (PVAC), aimed at cutting medicine imports by boosting local manufacturing and supply chains.

Tinubu called on APC leaders to meet the 15% Abuja Declaration health budget benchmark, publish annual scorecards, and transcend politics.

“As a ruling party, we must hold ourselves accountable,” he said, posing questions about budgetary priorities, facility functionality, worker motivation, and direct funding to health centres. “This convention must not turn into a mere talk shop. Let APC be the first party to institutionalise health reform in Nigeria.”

He urged the private sector, traditional rulers, and faith leaders to collaborate, declaring: “A country cannot be prosperous if its citizens are unhealthy.”

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, delivered a comprehensive progress report, framing the event amid global shocks such as COVID-19 and declining donor aid.

Citing 2023 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data, he noted maternal mortality dropping to 512 per 100,000 live births (from 576 in 2018), under-5 mortality falling to 110 per 1,000 live births (from 132), and skilled birth attendance rising to 53%.

Salako added: “Government health expenditure is 5.2% of GDP, consistently upward trend since 2024 far below the 15% Abuja Declaration minimum… Out of pocket expenditure for health remains as high as 71%.”

He observed that over 30,000 PHCs were sub-optimally functional in 2023, with a doctor-to-population ratio of 1:5,000, compared with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended 1:600.

Under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NSHRII)—launched in December 2023—BHCPF absorption rose from 45% in 2019 to 78% in 2023, while over 20 million people are now insured via the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act 2024.

“The convergence of BHCPF and NHIA represents a powerful mechanism for achieving UHC, but we need accelerated state-level implementation,” Salako said.

He explained that PHC quality scores climbed from 42% to 67%, while utilisation rose from 15.1 million visits in 2024 to 170.8 million in 2025.

On disease control programmes, he stated: “The HIV/AIDS Control has enrolled 1.78 million PLHIVs on treatment with a National ART coverage of approximately 80%.” He added that tuberculosis (TB) treatment success had reached 85%, malaria efforts had seen the distribution of 63 million insecticide-treated nets, and immunisation coverage had risen to 57% for Penta-3, with zero wild poliovirus cases recorded since 2020.

Salako further detailed 37,000 new health worker hires, more than 70,000 personnel trained, over 500 infrastructure projects, the Power for Health initiative, the Nigeria Digital Health Initiative (NDHI), and expanded laboratory networks. He said reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) interventions had averted an estimated 215,000 deaths.

On challenges such as brain drain, he said: “We have refused to be defined by our challenges… Our resolve is to build on what is working while addressing critical gaps.” He vowed to pursue rural incentives, digital supply chains, and green energy solutions.

“Health system resilience is not built overnight. It requires sustained investment, political will, technical excellence, community ownership, and accountability,” he stressed.

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, affirmed health’s centrality to the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda places health at the core of national development,” she said. “This is evidenced by the ongoing reforms to revitalise primary healthcare (PHC), expand health insurance coverage, improve health financing, and enhance workforce welfare.”

Hailing the APC Medical Council, she said: “It aligned perfectly with the party’s vision of people-centered governance.”

She urged participants to “focus on practical, implementable solutions to accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage… Translate the day’s discussions into measurable actions that would positively impact communities.”