The Federal Government has approved the disbursement of N32 billion to health facilities under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund following deliberations at the Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, while speaking with the journalists, explained that this is a quarterly meeting held to review the progress being made in the health sector under President Bola Tinubu’s health sector renewal investment initiative, adding that it is a continuation of progress across multiple dimensions.
He explained that the committee reviewed performance in primary health care, including utilisation, mortality indicators, and immunisation coverage, and noted that funds being released through the BHCPF were already reaching facilities.
“The resources that the Federal Government is disbursing through the BHCPF are getting to the facilities, and we also approved the disbursement of N32 billion to the facilities,” he said.
Pate added that the reform guidelines approved last year were already being implemented and that the number of facilities benefiting from direct funding would soon increase.
“We are on our way to expanding the facilities to add 5,000 more that will be receiving direct facility financing,” he stated.
The minister said the committee also reviewed tariffs for emergency ambulance services and agreed to increase the rates to encourage both public and private providers to respond more effectively.
“It is important to note that the reimbursement for complications of obstetric deliveries appears to be doing very well. More than 40,000 women have had emergency services reimbursed, and that has made it affordable for them and their families,” he said.
According to him, the decision by President Tinubu to make treatment for emergency obstetric complications free was already saving lives.
“There is widespread acknowledgement that the vision of the president to make treatment of emergency obstetric services free is saving the lives of women,” Pate added.
He further disclosed that the free fistula treatment programme had reached more than 4,000 women.
“The free fistula programme is reaching more than 4,000 women who have had their lives reclaimed,” he said.
On disease outbreaks, Pate said Nigeria continues to record multiple outbreaks every year, but most are contained early through surveillance and rapid response led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
“More than 200 outbreak episodes were recorded in the last one year, but most people do not hear about them because they are stopped very early,” he said, while urging state governments to respond faster to outbreaks and ensure the protection of health workers.
He also announced that more than 102 million children were reached during the integrated measles and rubella campaign conducted last year.
“It has never happened at this scale to reach 102 million children in Nigeria with preventive services,” he said.
Also speaking, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, said the meeting highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability in the use of public health funds.
“We are promoting transparency, stewardship and accountability with the robust involvement of civil society organisations. Civil society can help track and monitor at the facility level to ensure that the government is getting value for the money it is investing, particularly in primary health care,” the minister said.
Responding to concerns about the safety of health workers during outbreaks, he said the government would continue to strengthen training and protective measures.
“Some of these diseases are highly infectious, and we will continue to train health workers to protect themselves and improve their response,” he added.
The Basic Health Care Provision Fund is a Nigerian government initiative aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage by providing a Basic Minimum Package of Health Services to all citizens.
Established under Section 11 of the National Health Act (2014), the BHCPF is funded through a combination of government allocations, international donor grants, and private sector contributions, with a minimum of 1% of the federal government’s consolidated revenue allocated annually.
The fund is managed through three gateways: the National Health Insurance Scheme for BMPHS, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency for strengthening primary healthcare, and the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee for emergency medical treatment.
Punch