FG to disburse N32.9bn for primary healthcare

The federal government has approved the disbursement of N32.9 billion for the fourth quarter of 2025 through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to strengthen primary health care delivery and expand health insurance coverage across the 36 states.

The funds are billed for disbursement in January 2026, aligning with the BHCPF 2.0 guidelines.

The permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, said the fourth release of funds under the BHCPF was a reflection of the government’s commitment to improved financing, accountability and transparency in the health sector.

Kachollom, who disclosed this during the fourth quarterly meeting of the Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) for 2025 in Abuja, said the approach was aimed at ensuring a smooth flow of funding to improve service delivery at primary health care levels.

“This will be done in January so that the process is safely completed and so that we can support patients on a more regular basis,” Kachallom said.

In order to strengthen local government participation and the establishment of a Citizens’ Response Centre (CRC) to enhance transparency, citizen feedback and accountability in the health sector, including BHCPF-supported intervention, she revealed the inclusion of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) as a member of the MOC, meant to boost cohesion.

She praised the impacts made in the health sector under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, spearheaded by coordinating Minister of Health, the Minister of State, agency heads, and directors, all working under a compact framework signed in 2023 and reinforced in subsequent agreements.

“Health is intangible; they are not things you can touch, but you can feel them. These reforms (by the government) are being driven by a coordinated leadership structure,” she added.

The executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muyi Aina, said regular BHCPF disbursements had added to measurable gains in primary health care services across the country, including, increased utilisation of primary health care centres, improved immunisation coverage and increased uptake of other essential health services.

While revealing that from January 2026, low-volume facilities will receive N600,000 per quarter, with high-volume facilities receiving N800,000, replacing the previous flat-rate system, he said the approach was designed to better align resources with patient load, improve service readiness and reduce out-of-pocket health spending.

The director-general of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Kelechi Ohiri, said his agency had enabled Nigerians to track the utilisation of health funds and how it is allocated.

Dr Ohiri said health insurance coverage had witnessed improvements, driven by stronger coordination and accountability across the health sector.

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