Following the need to improve basic healthcare in the nation, the federal government has approved the disbursement of N25 billion through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to assist the services of all Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the nation.
Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this at the meeting of BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) in Abuja.
Pate reiterated President Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to improving the health of citizens across the country through efficient, effective and quality primary healthcare service delivery.
He stated that with the redesigning of BHCPF, it would help to create more resources which will upgrade and improve the healthcare system.
Pate added that some portion of the fund would focus on maternal and child health, and would also be allocated by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to provide financial protection for the poorest and the most vulnerable populations.
Speaking on the part of National Primary Healthcare Development (NPHCDA), as highlighted by the PUNCH; “The guidelines revision will include increasing direct facility financing in a tiered way to address health inequities, provide additional resources for supervision by states, support for frontline health workers, and drugs/commodities at the PHCs levels (more than 8,000 PHCs across the country), and strengthen financial management and accountability.
“An email address and reporting line will be made available, enabling citizens to actively participate in monitoring fund implementation. We are committed to ensuring that healthcare resources are utilised effectively and transparently,’’ Pate said.
He also advised civil society organizations and the media to be vigilant and keep a close watch on the resources that are disbursed go support each Primary Healthcare Centre ensuring that are used for the Intended Purpose only.
He called on civil society organisations and the media to keep a close watch on the resources once they start to flow to each BHCPF-supported PHC facility, to ensure they are used for intended purposes only.
On the part of the executive director of NPHCDA, Dr. Muyi Aina, cited that the government would leverage software technology to track expenditure at the facility level and ensure funds allocated are utilised appropriately for its initial purpose.
“Our goal is to ensure that every Nigerian has access to the basic services they need,” he stressed.
