nThe Federal Government, on Thursday, approved the disbursement of N12,911 billion through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
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The amount represents the 2023 fund for one quarter, to be utilised in the third quarter of 2024.
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This is according to the 2020 BHCPF guideline, pending the review of the new guideline.
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Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this at the 7th meeting of the BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee in Abuja.
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In March 2024, the Nigerian government authorised the disbursement of N25 billion through the BHCPF across the States of the Federation.
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The allocated funds were earmarked for direct facility financing and workforce incentives across States.
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Available data from the BHCPF and the Africa Health Budget Network shows that from 2019 to 2022, funds disbursed through BHCPF summed up to an estimated N89 billion.
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Only 7,250 out of the 35,514 Primary Healthcare Centres in the country are currently benefiting from the BHCPF, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
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Pate said that in line with Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Initiative and President Bola Tinubu’s approval for a Sector-Wide Approach, urgent comprehensive reforms were being undertaken to improve BHCPF.
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“A sub-committee set up by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare during the 5th Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) meeting in late 2023, is leading these reforms.
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“Key developments include: Ongoing review of the BHCPF Guideline, with proposed reforms for the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) already approved in March 2024.
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“A thorough assessment has revealed significant flaws in the implementation of BHCPF, prompting all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to commit to immediate corrective measures.
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“The MOC has approved the release of ₦25 billion to key health agencies to prevent disruption of services while awaiting the new guideline by the third quarter of 2024,” he explained.
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He said that these reforms aimed to better align resources and improve health outcomes, such as increased antenatal coverage, skilled birth attendance, immunisation rates, and overall health insurance coverage in Nigeria.
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The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Muyi Aina, said that two memos were submitted and approved by the MOC.
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“The first memo, jointly presented by the NCDC Gateway and EMT Gateway, outlined proposed reforms.
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“These reforms focus on programmatic improvements at both state and national levels, as well as fiduciary interventions to ensure proper resource utilisation.
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“The second memo focused on the disbursement of N12.9 billion across all states for the third quarter, following a previous approval and disbursement of N25 billion for the first two quarters,” he said.
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Aina said that these reforms and disbursements were part of ongoing efforts to implement the Sector-Wide Approach and government reforms, aimed at improving coordination and resource efficiency across various gateways.
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He stressed the need to improve the quality of primary health centres across states, utilising resources from both state funding and external sources like World Bank loans.
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“We have conducted assessments with the National Health Insurance Authority and states to identify facility gaps and prioritise improvements.
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“The focus now is on working closely with each state to sequence the refurbishment of these facilities, starting with those most urgently in need of support,” he said.
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