President Bola Tinubu has restated his administration’s commitment to strengthening health financing and expanding universal access to quality healthcare through the effective implementation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) 2.0.
The initiative, he said, is aimed at improving service delivery for Nigeria’s most vulnerable citizens.
Speaking in Lagos at a South-West zonal workshop to onboard members of the State Oversight Committees for the BHCPF, Secretary of the Ministerial Oversight Committee, Dr. Oreshoremi Ogbe, said the newly launched BHCPF Guideline 2.0 was designed to promote transparency, accountability, and measurable results in healthcare financing.
Dr. Ogbe emphasized that all funds disbursed under the BHCPF would be closely monitored to ensure they reach the poor and vulnerable.
He disclosed that President Tinubu had directed the revitalization of 17,600 functional Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) nationwide by 2027 — up from the initial 8,809 target — to ensure equitable access to quality medical services.
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Akin Abayomi, highlighted the urgent need to bridge the gap between primary healthcare and social health insurance.
He noted that with over 65 percent of Nigerians living below the poverty line, achieving universal health coverage requires collective commitment and resource mobilization at all levels of government.
Dr. Abayomi further stressed that under the National Health Insurance Authority Act of 2022, it is now mandatory for every Nigerian to have health insurance coverage, protecting citizens from catastrophic medical costs and ensuring sustainability in the health sector.
Delivering a goodwill message, National Coordinator of the Sector-Wide Approach, Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq (represented by Dr. Ashiru Abubakar), urged stakeholders to align their implementation strategies with local needs and realities.
He called on state actors to act as “custodians of hope” by ensuring that primary healthcare centres provide not just treatment, but also dignity and healing for all Nigerians.
Reporting by Eunice Olile