Federal Government Expands Healthcare Fund to 13,000 Facilities

The federal government has approved the expansion of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to an additional 5,000 primary healthcare facilities, increasing the total to approximately 13,000. Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, announced this in Abuja, detailing a quarterly disbursement of N40.7 billion to states under the fund.

The selection of additional facilities was based on equity considerations, including disease burden and population distribution. Pate emphasized the need for state and local governments to enhance their investments in primary healthcare, stating that sustainable financing cannot rely solely on the federal government.

Plans are underway to recruit frontline health workers, utilizing savings from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, with a transition of funding responsibilities to state and local governments over three years. Pate also advocated for the adoption of digital technologies to improve accountability in healthcare funding and called for collaboration with civil society and the media to monitor fund utilization.