The Federal Government has approved N12.911 billion for disbursement to the four key agencies under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) for the fourth quarter of 2024. The beneficiaries are the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS). This disbursement follows the current BHCPF guideline.
The approval was granted during the 8th Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) meeting of the BHCPF, attended by the Ministers of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate and Dr. Tunji Alausa, alongside Permanent Secretary Daju Kachollom, heads of agencies, development partners, and other stakeholders in Abuja.
Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health, emphasized that the MOC is committed to ensuring effective implementation, transparency, and accountability in the management of the fund. He added that the committee would reconvene in mid-December to disburse funds for the first quarter of 2025.
Pate further explained that the MOC oversees the strategic direction of the BHCPF, ensuring proper coordination among the four implementing agencies—NHIA, NPHCDA, NEMSAS, and NCDC. The committee also monitors fund disbursement and strives to improve access to quality healthcare, particularly for underserved populations, while promoting adherence to national health policies.
The Minister also mentioned that during the meeting, observations were made concerning the effectiveness of the current disbursement process, leading to decisions to make practical adjustments in the guidelines.
“In line with Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Initiative and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s endorsement of a Sector-Wide Approach, significant reforms of the BHCPF have been initiated,” Pate said. These reforms, he noted, are being driven by a sub-committee established during the 5th MOC meeting in 2023 and include revisions to the BHCPF guideline, operational architecture reforms, and governance improvements.
Acknowledging complaints about delays in fund disbursement, Pate assured that a subcommittee, including representatives from various stakeholders such as the NHIA, CSOs, WHO, and SPHCDA, will address the delays within the next two weeks.
A revised BHCPF 2.0 guideline, accountability framework, and the disbursement memo for the fourth quarter of the 2023 financial year were also presented and discussed during the meeting.
