The Nigerian Federal Government has embarked on the third round of a major funding initiative this year, announcing the immediate disbursement of ₦32.9 billion to all 36 states and their respective primary healthcare centres across the country. This significant financial injection, which originates from the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), is specifically earmarked to improve the quality of medical services and dramatically expand citizen access to healthcare nationwide.
Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare, confirmed the allocation following the 3rd Quarter Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting in Abuja. The funds are being deployed under the newly introduced BHCPF 2.0 Guidelines, which the Minister described as a crucial element of President Bola Tinubu’s wider health reform agenda. The money is designated to support the running costs of facilities, provide essential stipends for health workers, and generally expand the reach of medical care.
To ensure that the funds are used as intended and to guarantee accountability, the Federal Government has activated a Joint Task Force. This team is working in close collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to monitor usage and ensure total transparency at the community level.
The Minister proudly highlighted the substantial progress already being made as a result of these focused investments. He revealed that public confidence in the primary healthcare system appears to be growing rapidly, with over 80 million visits recorded at primary healthcare centres in the first two quarters of 2025—a remarkable fourfold increase compared to the figures from 2023. Furthermore, the number of people covered by health insurance schemes now exceeds 21 million Nigerians.
The BHCPF is also making a demonstrable difference in maternal health. The funding has enabled half a million pregnant women to receive cover for maternal services, leading to over 15,000 accessing vital obstetric care and more than 11,000 receiving necessary emergency medical treatment. Encouraging preliminary data suggests that these investments are directly responsible for a 12 per cent reduction in maternal mortality compared to the previous year, indicating that the reforms are beginning to yield tangible results.
In other health drives, the government is continuing an integrated immunisation campaign targeting 106 million children aged zero to fourteen for diseases such as measles, rubella, and polio. This campaign has achieved impressive success, particularly in the northern states, where it has already surpassed initial targets with over a 92 per cent uptake.
