The Federal Government has approved and released the sum of ₦32.9 billion under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) as part of the third disbursement cycle for 2025.

The announcement was made in Abuja during the 12th meeting of the Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) on the BHCPF, chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate.

According to the ministry, the funds have been disbursed directly to all states and the Federal Capital Territory through the established BHCPF gateways to strengthen service delivery at primary healthcare centres (PHCs) across the country.

Dr. Pate explained that the new disbursement, which is part of the ongoing BHCPF 2.0 reforms, aims to expand access to affordable and quality healthcare, particularly for women, children, and vulnerable Nigerians.

He revealed that the latest funding round has increased the number of BHCPF-supported primary healthcare centres from 8,000 to about 13,000 nationwide, improving both coverage and accountability in the system.

The Minister noted significant progress since the reform began, including a 28 percent rise in outpatient attendance and an 18 percent increase in skilled birth deliveries between the first and second quarters of 2025.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Daju Kachollom, said over 21 million Nigerians are now enrolled under health insurance coverage linked to BHCPF-supported schemes.

To ensure transparency and efficiency, the Ministry has activated a Joint Task Force in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to monitor the utilisation of funds across states.

The Federal Government also directed state health authorities to submit beneficiary lists with National Identification Numbers (NINs) by December 2025 and to institutionalise Data Quality Assessments (DQAs) to verify results.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly has initiated legislative action to increase the annual allocation to the BHCPF from 1 percent to 2 percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) to sustain and scale up healthcare delivery across the federation.

Dr. Pate reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to strengthen the nation’s primary healthcare system, reduce out-of-pocket health expenditures, and deliver equitable health services to all Nigerians.