In a significant move aimed at elevating the nation’s overall health standards, the Federal Government has taken decisive actions to fortify two critical pillars of Nigeria’s health care system: health insurance and primary health care. This strategic maneuver is poised to enhance performance and yield better outcomes for the populace.

At the core of this initiative is the revamp of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), which, once fully implemented, will better allocate resources to improve Nigeria’s health outcomes, ultimately saving lives and promoting better health.

Expected outcomes include improved antenatal care coverage, increased presence of skilled birth attendants, reduction in stunting and wasting, fewer adolescent births, decreased number of unvaccinated children, expanded vaccination coverage, and broader health insurance coverage.

This initiative aligns with Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Initiative, endorsed by the 64th National Council on Health, and President Bola Tinubu’s support for a comprehensive approach to address the country’s health challenges.

The BHCPF, established under the National Health Act, aims to support the effective delivery of primary and secondary health care services by providing a Basic Minimum Package of Health Care Services (BMPHS) and Emergency Medical Treatment (EMT). Its main goal is to ensure health care access for all, particularly the poor, thus contributing to overall national productivity.

These steps were announced after the latest meeting of the Ministerial Oversight Committee supervising the BHCPF.

The primary focus is to comprehensively improve the BHCPF by addressing identified flaws. Following a thorough assessment and audit revealing major flaws in programmatic, operational, and fiduciary aspects of BHCPF implementation, all 36 states and the FCT have committed to rectifying these flaws by signing a remediation plan with the Federal Ministry of Health and implementing corrective measures promptly.

Additionally, the MOC has provisionally approved the release of funds (25 billion, covering two quarters) to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the National Health Insurance Authority based on the current 2020 Guidelines, pending the revision of new guidelines by the third quarter of 2024.

This release aims to prevent significant disruptions to service provision at designated BHCPF primary health care facilities.