Government to expand primary healthcare coverage by 5,000 facilities as states are urged to increase health spending
The Federal Government has approved N40.7 billion for healthcare delivery under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) for the third quarter of 2026, while extending vulnerable-group health insurance coverage to prisoners across the country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja after the 16th meeting of the BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC).
Pate said the approved funding represented the Federal Government’s contribution from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), adding that monthly allocations to the fund had nearly doubled alongside the amounts received by state governments.
He attributed the increase to improved government revenue, which he linked to the macroeconomic and fiscal reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to the minister, the funding is intended to strengthen primary healthcare delivery across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
However, he stressed that federal allocations alone would not be sufficient to address the country’s healthcare needs, urging state and local governments to increase their contributions.
“States should at least put that alongside the local government and even do more, because these are issues at the subnational level,” he said.
FG to Expand Primary Healthcare Network
Pate said the oversight committee had agreed to add 5,000 primary healthcare facilities to the more than 8,000 facilities already benefiting from the fund.
He explained that the selection process would consider equity, disease burden, population distribution and the distance communities must travel to access healthcare.
According to him, the criteria are designed to ensure that areas with greater health needs receive appropriate attention and resources.
The minister also said the committee discussed measures to improve access to affordable, quality healthcare commodities and ensure that increased funding translates into better services for Nigerians.
Savings to Support Recruitment of Health Workers
On the shortage of healthcare personnel, Pate said savings made through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency would be deployed to recruit frontline health workers.
He added that the workers would be transitioned over the next three years, with state governments expected to take on increasing responsibility for their employment and recruit additional personnel.
The minister also called for stronger state-level funding to improve responses to disease outbreaks, including Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria.
He highlighted the need for routine childhood vaccination against diphtheria, urging parents and caregivers to ensure that eligible children received their vaccines.
“Those children that are vaccinated are unlikely to get the diphtheria disease,” he said.
Pate further called on civil society organisations, community leaders, the media and the joint task force involving the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to monitor the use of the fund.
He said the government would continue to work towards ensuring that allocations reached their intended destinations and were used for their approved purposes.
The minister added that the Federal Government was also investing in tertiary healthcare infrastructure, including diagnostic centres and cancer treatment facilities.
90,000 Prisoners to Benefit from Health Insurance
Also speaking at the meeting, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, announced that the committee had approved the extension of coverage under the Vulnerable Group Health Insurance Fund to prisoners in Nigeria.
Salako said the initiative was expected to bring approximately 90,000 inmates into the health insurance scheme, expanding access to basic healthcare services among people in custodial facilities.
“Today we took a decision that prisoners in Nigeria will now be covered under the vulnerable health insurance fund,” he said.
He added that the move would enable the beneficiaries to receive basic healthcare through the arrangements supported by the administration of President Tinubu.
Salako also said the committee considered co-procurement arrangements intended to reduce the cost of health commodities supplied to primary healthcare facilities.
He explained that collaboration with civil society organisations and the ICPC would help strengthen oversight, promote accountability and ensure value for money in the implementation of the fund.
About the Basic Health Care Provision Fund
The Basic Health Care Provision Fund is a government financing mechanism established under the National Health Act to support essential healthcare services, particularly at the primary healthcare level.
The fund is intended to improve access to basic medical services, strengthen healthcare delivery and support mechanisms that help vulnerable populations obtain necessary treatment.
The Ministerial Oversight Committee supervises implementation, reviews progress and addresses operational challenges, with the broader objective of ensuring that allocated resources lead to improved healthcare access and outcomes.
