MOC approves ₦32.9 billion disbursement from BHCPF

The 13th Expanded Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) has approved the disbursement of ₦32.9 billion under a revised funding framework for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) for the fourth quarter of 2025.

The BHCPF is funded by 1% of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CFR), donor grants, and other sources to strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities, ensuring access to medicines, and covering emergency treatments towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The Fund is implemented by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), National Emergency Medical Treatment (NEMT), and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Gateways.

The 4th quarter approval, according to the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, was aimed at expanding access to quality primary healthcare services and reducing out-of-pocket spending by Nigerians, while strengthening transparency and accountability in the use of public health resources.

The approval was given at the meeting, hosted by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and chaired by the Coordinating Minister, Prof Ali Pate and attended by the Minister of State, Dr. Adekunle Salako, the Permanent Secretary, Kachollom, State Commissioners for Health led by their chairman and Ekiti State Health Commissioner, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, heads of health agencies as well as representatives of international partner agencies, civil society organisations and, for the first time, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), where officials reviewed funding performance for 2025 and outlined priorities for accelerated impact in 2026.

Kachollom, however, explained that disbursement would be made in January 2026, explaining that the proposed timing was deliberate and to ensure that funds were properly deployed and that health facilities could receive support in a more predictable manner.

 “This will be done in January so that the process is safely completed and so that we can support patients on a more regular basis.”

She added that the long-term objective was to reduce disruptions in funding flows that often undermine service delivery at the primary healthcare level.

“If we begin to see the same drive that pushed this disbursement, we will start getting monthly allocations and try to reduce and prevent collapse in terms of disbursements,” she said.

Kachollom also stressed that accountability and transparency were central to the current reform agenda, describing them as commitments owed to Nigerians and development partners.

She said the health sector reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration were already producing results, even if those gains were not always physically visible.

“Health is intangible; they are not things you can touch, but you can feel them,” she said, assuring that future generations would remember the administration for fundamentally changing the national health system.

She added that the reforms were being driven by a coordinated leadership structure involving the Coordinating Minister of Health, the Minister of State, heads of agencies and directors, all working under a compact framework signed in twenty twenty three and reinforced in subsequent agreements.

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The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muyi Aina, said, “The fourth disbursement showed that we are beginning to stabilise and regularise state-level funding.”

He said presentations at the meeting showed consistent improvements in service utilisation across the country, including increased attendance at primary health centres, rising immunisation coverage, and higher uptake of other essential services.

Aina said a major shift approved at the meeting was the first implementation of the BHCPF 2.0 guidelines, which introduce differential funding based on facility workload.

He explained that under the new framework, low-volume facilities would receive N600,000 per quarter, while high-volume facilities would receive N800,000, replacing the previous system where all facilities received the same fixed amount.

“This is to better correlate resources with patient demand and to ensure facilities are better prepared to meet the needs of the people they serve,” he said, adding that the approach was expected to help reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients.

Aina also referenced a preliminary presentation on the National Health Accounts, which suggested that out-of-pocket health spending in Nigeria may be declining.

“That analysis still needs to be interrogated further, but we are encouraged by the direction it is showing,” he said.

Looking ahead, he acknowledged that while progress had been made, the pace of change remained a major concern.

“Our biggest challenge is speed. In 2026, our priority is to accelerate how quickly we reach more Nigerians through primary healthcare revitalisation, immunisation, maternal and child health, nutrition, and reproductive health services,” he said.

On his part, the Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Kelechi Ohiri, said the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund process had strengthened transparency by clearly publishing how funds from the one percent consolidated revenue were transferred to states and local governments.

“This allows Nigerians to see what the Federal government is doing and how resources are flowing through the system,” he said.

Ohiri added that the framework had also reinforced accountability, with each gateway required to demonstrate what had been achieved with available resources, not only to government and partners but also to citizens.

He said the oversight process had become a tool for self-assessment and course correction as the sector prepared for higher expectations in the coming year.

“2025 has been a year of progress, but Nigerians expect us to move faster in 2026,” he said.

On insurance coverage, Ohiri disclosed that enrolment under the national health insurance system had continued to grow, rising from about 20 million people as of June to 21 million at the time of the latest review.

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He assured that the authority would continue to support other agencies and sector gateways to ensure that expanded financing translated into tangible improvements in access, affordability and quality of care across the country.