BHCPF: Nigerian govt disburses N45 billion to PHCs

The Nigerian government on Wednesday said it has disbursed about N45 billion directly to the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the country through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, a professor, made this known at an ongoing three-day Nigeria Health Sector-Wide Joint Annual Review in Abuja.

The annual review themed: “It’s for All of Us: Accelerating Our Health Sector Reforms Together” brings stakeholders together to evaluate and coordinate health sector reform efforts.

Mr Pate explained that the BHCPF 2.0 reform incorporates equity considerations in distributing financial and human resources to over 8,000 PHCs through direct facilities.

He said N45 billion has already been disbursed through direct facilities to the state and to serve the country’s population.

“We have mobilised with our partners more than N3 billion in terms of complementary funding over three years, including N2.1 billion that we have confirmed over time, which will complement the government’s effort, and in the last year, several facilities have been revitalised already,” he said.

“And 2,600 are currently at late stages of being upgraded through the states, and these are resources that we know will also help make our PHCs functional, and 2,000 additional facilities will also be revitalised as part of this effort.”

Mr Pate had in December disclosed plans to disburse about N50 billion for the upgrade and expansion of PHCs across the country by the first quarter of 2024.

He said this is part of the present administration’s target to expand PHC facilities from 8,000 to 17,000 over the next four years.

Improving workforce

At the event, Mr Pate highlighted the government’s efforts to improve the health workforce, noting that over 40,000 frontline health workers have so far been retrained.

He said this was part of the present administration’s commitment to strengthen the health workforce.

“As a demonstration of the president’s commitment to improving the health workforce, we announced that 120,000 frontline health workers would be retrained. More than 40,000 have so far been retrained, and we are on our way to meet and exceed the target,” he said.

In his remarks, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, said the annual review is a vital instrument for health sector stakeholders to assess programme performance.

Mr Salako said it also serves as an opportunity to evaluate resource distribution and review outcomes or issues that need to be addressed to improve performance.

“As a critical accountability tool, we shall be using the annual review to promote multisectoral coordination and set clear priorities for the upcoming year, ensuring that all stakeholders remain aligned with national health goals,” he said.

About BHCPF

Established in 2014 under Section 11 of the National Health Act, the BHCPF provides funding to enhance access to primary health care.

It was designed to be financed from not less than one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the federal government and other sources including donors’ contributions.

The Fund provides a Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS) aimed at increasing the fiscal space for health, strengthening the national health system, particularly at the PHC level, and ensuring access to healthcare for all.