Susan Abayomi
The Federal Government is expanding its primary healthcare intervention to more communities across Nigeria, with 5,000 additional facilities set to benefit from the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), bringing the total number of supported facilities to more than 13,000.
The expansion comes alongside a quarterly disbursement of ₦40.7 billion to states, as the government intensifies efforts to improve access to essential medical services and strengthen healthcare delivery nationwide.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the development in Abuja on Wednesday after a meeting of the Ministerial Oversight Committee responsible for supervising the implementation of the fund.
He explained that the newly selected facilities were chosen based on factors such as disease burden, population distribution and the distance residents must travel to access medical care. The approach, he said, is intended to address disparities in healthcare access, particularly in underserved communities.
Pate linked the increased resources available to the fund to the macroeconomic and fiscal reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration. He stressed, however, that additional government revenue must translate into tangible improvements in healthcare services.
The minister called on state governments to sustain their financial commitments and ensure that the resources provided deliver meaningful benefits to Nigerians.
“The only way this will work is if we approach this as a national health system. The Federal Government does its part, but states must also do their part to ensure that the funding is sustained,” he said.
To address staffing needs, Pate disclosed that savings within the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) would support the recruitment of frontline health workers.
He added that state and local governments would be expected to assume responsibility for financing the workers within three years, making their participation essential to the programme’s long-term sustainability.
The government is also working to reduce financial barriers to medical services through health insurance coverage for approximately 90,000 vulnerable beneficiaries.
On financial oversight, the minister said digital technologies and artificial intelligence were being deployed to monitor expenditure, while cybersecurity measures would help safeguard the systems and the information they contain.
Efforts are also underway to improve the supply of essential medicines through pooled procurement, which is expected to support the availability of medical supplies at participating facilities.
Meanwhile, the minister highlighted ongoing responses to disease outbreaks, including Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria, underscoring the need for stronger preparedness and effective healthcare systems to manage public health threats.
At the tertiary level, Pate said the government was pursuing the rehabilitation of federal teaching hospitals and other specialised institutions, with improvements planned for diagnostic services and cancer treatment facilities.
The measures form part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to improve access to healthcare, strengthen medical infrastructure and enhance service delivery across Nigeria.
