The Federal Government has earmarked N40 billion as the third-quarter 2026 allocation under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). The money will go to eligible gateways, states and local government areas. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the figure in Abuja after the 16th Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting on the fund.
The committee reviewed progress on how the fund is working. Members also discussed ways to strengthen primary health care delivery. In addition, they looked at how to improve access to essential health commodities. Finally, they considered how to increase the number of primary health care facilities that receive funding.
Pate credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s macro-fiscal reforms for the increase. He said the reforms have turned the economy around and raised government revenue. “We’re seeing that reflected in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund,” he said. Moreover, he claimed that monthly disbursements into the fund have almost doubled. He said the amounts states receive have also risen.
The new figure also marks a jump from the previous quarter. At the 15th meeting, the committee approved N32.88 billion for the second quarter of 2026, according to the News Agency of Nigeria. Therefore, the third-quarter allocation is about N7 billion higher, an increase of roughly 22 percent.
Pate said the government will channel the extra resources into primary health care in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. He also announced a plan to widen the fund’s reach. The fund currently supports about 8,000 facilities, he said, and the committee agreed to add 5,000 more. As a result, many more communities should have access to funded clinics.
The committee will not choose the new facilities at random. Pate said members will apply equity considerations. They will weigh each area’s burden of disease and its population. They will also consider how far residents live from existing services. He called this “an important aspect” of the plan.
The minister then linked the funding to wider reforms. He said the governance of the Nigerian health sector has improved in line with the president’s direction. “The resources are flowing,” Pate said. He added that the ministry will keep checking that the money reaches its intended destinations and serves its intended purpose.
Pate also called on civil society groups, community leaders and the media to help monitor the funds. In addition, he urged the joint task force that the ministry runs with an anti-corruption partner to join the effort. His goal, he said, is to make sure the resources reach the front end through direct facility financing. Consequently, Nigerians who use primary health centres should feel the benefit.
The fund has grown in recent years. At the 15th meeting, Pate said the BHCPF disbursed N339 billion to states over its 12-year life. Of that sum, he said, N235 billion went out in the last three years alone. He also said more than 130,000 Nigerians have benefited from emergency medical services that the fund finances.
Sojworldnews could not independently verify the claim that monthly disbursements have almost doubled. Still, the larger allocation puts more pressure on officials to show results at the clinic level. Therefore, many Nigerians will watch closely to see whether the new money reaches local health centres and improves care.
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