By Haruna Abdulrashid
The Federal Government through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund BHCPF is set to release N32bn through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund to the state, local governments and more than 8,000 primary healthcare centres.
This was contained in a press statement presented to the media by the Deputy Director Information & Public Relations, Mr Alaba Balogun, which was disclosed by Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister for Health & Social Welfare during a press briefing at the 10th Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund held on Wednesday 19 March, 2025.
These resources, the Coordinating Minister stated, “it will support expansion of primary health care services, expansion of the vulnerable fund to ensure women and children get affordable access to quality healthcare.”
Pate assured that the expected resources will cater for emergency medical treatment and ambulance scheme; as well as though the National Centre for Disease Control NCDC for controlling disease outbreaks.
He said, “the Federal Government is very committed to ensuring that Nigerians, particularly those who are afflicted by things like HIV, TB and malaria, continue to receive the care they need.
“And it is in that direction, the President provided 2025 resources for us to begin to meet the gap. The gap is there, but we are stepping up because we have the responsibility to take care of the health of Nigerians”.
To this end, the Coordinator Minister highlighted Federal Government’s deliberate initiative and preparedness in ensuring the actualisation of its commitments and objectives in the health sector.
“Basic Healthcare Programme Management is one line item for the healthcare platform, which pays for the primary healthcare system, the front line health workers,” he stated.
There are also the commodities and test kits for diagnosis. There is a separate line item which is provided for that, and we are going to use those line items. We have seen reports of external agencies from Geneva making reports.
“The fact is that our analysis shows that there is no imminent stock out. We are moving towards direct as well as emergency procurement using the resources that we have. At this point in time, there are commodities in warehouses, so we do know that treatment will continue. However, we have to double up so that we can procure quickly with our own resources. We just have to procure from countries that are more like us,” Pate explained.
