In a bid to mark a major step forward in Nigeria’s health sector reform, the federal government has launched the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, BHCPF 2.0 Revised Guideline, aimed at boosting accountability and efficiency in health financing.
At the 12th Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) Meeting held in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate also announced the approval of ₦32.9 billion for disbursement across all BHCPF gateways to be completed by the end of this month.
Professor Pate asserted that the new guidelines represent a major milestone in the administration’s health reform agenda under President Bola Tinubu, designed to strengthen transparency in the use of public health funds as every naira would be tracked to ensure effective healthcare delivery.
“The new framework includes stricter public interest and conflict of interest protocols to promote transparency, while a joint task force has been activated in partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to monitor utilisation of funds at community level.”
On the progress recorded through the BHCPF, Professor Pate disclosed that Nigeria had seen a fourfold increase in primary healthcare utilisation, “recording over 80 million PHC visits in the first two quarters of 2025 alone, compared to figures from 2023.”
On his part, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, noted that BHCPF-supported facilities had recorded higher service utilisation and better performance across key health indicators.
According to him, “this positive outcome underscores the need to expand the funding pool in order to increase the number of health facilities benefiting from the initiative.”
While commending the honest assessments made by stakeholders at the meeting, The World Health Organisation Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Pavel Ursu examined the strong focus on data quality and end-to-end data processes, which he said are essential for timely and accurate decision-making.
Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Muyi Aina stated that over 40 million visits to primary healthcare centres had been recorded quarterly, a major increase from two years ago, which was a signal to growing public trust in the health system.
“Service utilization indicators are improving: over 90 children per facility now receive the Penta 3 vaccine, nearly double previous records, and skilled birth attendance has doubled to about 40 deliveries per facility per quarter.”
The chairman of the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee, NEMTC, Dr. Ismaila Jibrin, acknowledged the growing investment in emergency medical response under the BHCPF.
“In the last quarter alone, over 11,000 emergency patients were transported for medical care, including maternal and newborn emergencies.”
Highlighting the key resolutions from the meeting, the Secretary of the BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee, Dr. Ogbe Oritseweyimi called the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee to initiate a digital platform within two weeks to enhance emergency response efficiency and reporting.
According to the recommendations, States were instructed to submit the list of beneficiaries and their National Identification Numbers to the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA, by the end of December 2025.
Representatives of state governments and partners including the the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, the UK Government Health Team, and the Health Development Partners Group attended the meeting.
The BHCPF, established under the National Health Act (2014), is a flagship financing mechanism of the federal government which aims to ensure sustainable funding for primary health care and guarantee access to quality essential health services for all Nigerians, particularly the poor and vulnerable.
