The Federal Government has disbursed ₦249.6 billion to the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) within the past three years under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, representing 77.1 per cent of the ₦323.6 billion disbursed from the Fund since its inception in 2019, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and expand financial protection for vulnerable Nigerians.
The Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare and Alternate Chairman of the Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) of the BHCPF, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, during a Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja on three years of implementation and reforms under the Fund, themed “Three Years of BHCPF and Accelerated Domestic Health Financing in Nigeria.”
Dr. Salako, who spoke on behalf of the Ministerial Oversight Committee, explained that the briefing provided a comprehensive account of public resources committed to the Fund, achievements recorded, implementation challenges and priorities for the next phase of reform.
He recalled that the BHCPF was established under the National Health Act, 2014, to improve access to essential healthcare, particularly for poor and vulnerable Nigerians. He noted that the Fund had become a central instrument for implementing the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative launched by President Tinubu in December 2023, alongside the Health Sector Renewal Compact and the adoption of the Sector-Wide Approach to align health sector planning, financing and accountability.
According to the Minister, the updated BHCPF Guidelines 2.0 introduced stronger performance-linked disbursement, direct facility financing, improved accountability mechanisms, expanded facility coverage and the use of unique beneficiary identifiers to improve transparency and ensure that public resources deliver measurable health outcomes.
He disclosed that total releases to the Fund stood at ₦422.3 billion as of September 2026, with ₦323.6 billion disbursed. Following the MOC’s approval of an additional ₦40.76 billion at its 16th meeting on 14 October 2026, cumulative disbursements are expected to rise to ₦364.3 billion, of which ₦290.2 billion would have been disbursed under the Tinubu administration.
Dr. Salako further stated that the administration’s commitment to domestic health financing was reflected in increased budgetary provisions and statutory releases to the Fund. He noted that the 2025 federal health budget increased by nearly 60 per cent, while the 2026 Appropriation Bill proposed ₦2.48 trillion for health investment, representing approximately six per cent of the budget net of liabilities.
On the latest approved allocation, the Minister explained that the ₦40.76 billion for the third quarter of 2026 would be distributed across the four BHCPF gateways as follows: ₦19.87 billion to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), ₦18.34 billion to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), ₦2.04 billion to Emergency Medical Treatment and ₦509.48 million to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
He said the allocations, in line with the established distribution formula of 48.75 per cent, 45 per cent, five per cent and 1.25 per cent respectively, were intended to strengthen health insurance coverage, improve primary healthcare services, enhance emergency medical response and support disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness.
On financial protection, Dr. Salako reported that national health insurance enrolment had increased from approximately 16.2 million people in 2023 to 23.06 million by the third quarter of 2026. He clarified that BHCPF-supported coverage included 3,182,943 vulnerable Nigerians with National Identification Numbers, while the Fund had also supported free vesicovaginal fistula surgeries and rehabilitation, emergency caesarean sections and other comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care interventions for 96,068 women and babies.
He added that the MOC had approved health insurance coverage for approximately 90,000 Nigerians in correctional facilities, with implementation expected to expand access to essential services for this population.
At the primary healthcare level, the Minister disclosed that direct facility financing currently supported 8,309 primary healthcare centres across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with a planned expansion to an additional 5,212 facilities, bringing the projected total to 13,521. He said the number of facilities attaining Level 2 readiness had increased from 1,748 in 2024 to 3,202 in the third quarter of 2026.
He also reported improvements in primary healthcare utilisation, with general attendance increasing from a baseline of 34.55 million in 2023 to 43.06 million by the second quarter of 2026. The Fund had also contributed to increased deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants and improved uptake of the third dose of the pentavalent vaccine among eligible children.
On emergency medical services, Dr. Salako stated that urban emergency medical services management and operational structures had been established in all 36 states and the FCT. Through the Rural Emergency Service and Maternal Transport (RESMAT) arrangements, rural emergency transport services had also been established in 171 of the 172 local government areas covered by the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative, with plans to expand to 200 local government areas by December 2026.
He noted that the emergency medical response system had recorded 168,571 ambulance service episodes since 2023, covering obstetric emergencies, neonatal and under-five emergencies, road traffic injuries, snakebites, burns and other urgent medical conditions.
The Minister further highlighted the role of the NCDC gateway in supporting surveillance, preparedness and response to public health threats, stressing that the reported disease cases associated with response activities should not be interpreted as cases whose treatment was funded exclusively by the BHCPF.
Addressing health workforce sustainability, Dr. Salako said the Federal Government was complementing investments in infrastructure and service delivery with programmes to strengthen the availability and capacity of health workers. He noted that 78,054 frontline health workers had been trained towards the national target of retraining 120,000 personnel, according to records presented at the June 2026 health sector review.
He disclosed that the MOC had approved a phased salary-support arrangement for 13,800 community-based health workers and skilled birth attendants, under which the Federal Government, through the NPHCDA, would provide 100 per cent of eligible salary costs in the first year, 67 per cent in the second year and 33 per cent in the third year, before states assume full responsibility. The arrangement, he explained, would be subject to verification, accountability requirements and progressive absorption of eligible personnel into state employment.
On improving access to essential medicines and health commodities, the Minister said the MOC had approved the operationalisation of MEDIPOOL as a pooled procurement mechanism for BHCPF commodities, subject to quality assurance, price benchmarks, value-for-money safeguards and supply-chain monitoring.
He urged state governments to fulfil their counterpart financing obligations, strengthen oversight and ensure the sustainable funding of primary healthcare services. He commended Katsina State for releasing ₦240.79 million to its State Health Insurance Agency to support expanded coverage and called on other states and the FCT to meet their applicable responsibilities under the Fund.
Dr. Salako reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening financial accountability through the implementation of BHCPF Guidelines 2.0, including collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to track the utilisation of public funds. He stressed the importance of timely reporting, proper retirement of advances, transparent provider payments and verification that resources released actually reach facilities and translate into services for patients.
Looking ahead, he disclosed that the Federal Government was working with the National Assembly to increase the statutory allocation to the BHCPF from one per cent to two per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund and expand its scope to include areas such as health research and promotion. The government also intends to improve efficiency and accountability, expand direct financing to at least 17,600 facilities and strengthen state-level commitments to the Fund as provided under the National Health Act.
The Minister emphasised that the success of the BHCPF would ultimately be measured by its impact on Nigerians, particularly vulnerable households, pregnant women, children and communities with limited access to essential healthcare.
He reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to ensure that increased domestic health financing translates into better health outcomes, stronger primary healthcare services, effective emergency response and protection against unaffordable medical expenses.
Dr. Salako concluded that the BHCPF remained a critical instrument for delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda in the health sector, stressing that sustained collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments, healthcare institutions and development partners was essential to achieving equitable, accessible and quality healthcare for all Nigerians.
Ado Bako
Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations
