Disbursements Under BHCPF Hit N323.6bn as at September 2026, Says FG

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The federal government has disclosed that the total amount released under the Basic Health Care Provi-sion Fund (BHCPF) between the first disbursement in 2019 and September 2026 stands at N422.3 billion, with N323.6 billion already disbursed. The disclosure came as the federal government pushed for a quick passage of BHCPF Act amendment bill to increase statutory Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) allocation to the fund from one per cent to two percent to enable it expand direct funding to 17,600 Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, gave the update on Tuesday in Abuja while briefing journalists on behalf of the Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) on BHCPF on three years of implementation and reform of the fund. Salako said N249.6 billion, representing 77.1 per cent of disbursement, occurred in the last three years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. He added that following approval to disburse addi-tional N40.7 billion at the October MOC meeting, total disbursed will hit N364 billion, with N290.2 billion or 79.7 percent disbursed under Tinubu administration. Salako said the administration had prioritised BHCPF as reflected in increased budgetary allocation and consistent increase in releases from N61.6 billion in 2023 to N132 billion between January and September 2026. He said statutory Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) releases increased from approximately N8.95 billion monthly in 2021 to N13.08 billion and currently N20.43 billion monthly. At full implementation of 2026 appropriation, BHCPF is expected to have received N245.1 billion by the end of 2026. Salako said 2025 federal health budget increased by nearly 60 per cent, raising the sector’s share to 5.2 per cent from just over three per cent, while Tinubu proposed N2.48 trillion for health in 2026 appropriation, translating to about six per cent of budget net of liabil-ities. He said at the 16th MOC meeting on October 14, the committee approved third-quarter allocation of N40.75 billion, compared with N32.88 billion in the preceding quarter. Of the amount, N19.87 billion was allocated to National Health Insurance Authority gateway, N18.3 billion to National Primary Health Care Development Agency, N2.04 billion to Emergency Medical Treatment, and N509.48 million to NCDC gateway. On impact, he said NHIA enrolment increased from 16.2 million in 2023 to 23.06 million by Q3 2026, with 3,182,943 vulnerable Nigerians identified with NIN as BHCPF beneficiaries. BHCPF release also funded free vesicovaginal fistula surgeries, free emergency caesar-ean sections for 96,068 women and babies, and cover-age for key populations, including people living with HIV and TB. About 90,000 inmates in correctional facilities will soon enjoy coverage. At the facility level, direct financing supported 8,309 PHCs across 36 states and FCT, with expansion to 13,512 PHCs envisaged. PHC Level 2 readiness in-creased from 1,748 in 2024 to 3,202 in third quarter of 2026. The federal government said attendance at the PHCs had increased from 34.5 million baseline in 2023 to 43.05 million as of Q2 2026, with improved immunisa-tion and 63.6 per cent increase in deliveries by skilled birth attendants. Maternal and under-five mortality ratios declined. It also said that the emergency gateway had estab-lished Emergency Medical Services in 36 states and FCT and Rural Emergency Transport in 171 local gov-ernment areas (LGAs), with 168,571 ambulance ser-vices since 2023. Salako said government had retrained 78,054 health workers as at June 2026, out of 120,000 targets set by Tinubu. He announced a phased support model approved by MOC where the federal government, through NPHCDA, will meet 100 per cent salary costs in the first year, 67 per cent in the second, and 33 per cent in third year for 13,800 community-based workers to en-sure sustainability. He said MOC approved operationalisation of Medi-pool as pooled procurement mechanism for BHCPF commodities. Salako urged quick passage of BHCPF Act to increase statutory CRF allocation from one per cent to two per cent and expand direct funding to 17,600 PHCs, and called on states to provide counterpart funding. He said the federal health ministry will strengthen veri-fication and financial accountability under BHCPF Guideline 2.0, in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commis-sion (ICPC), to track use of funds.