Nigeria needs to increase funding to about N2. 2 trillion annually to provide basic health care to citizens especially vulnerable Nigerians and attain universal health coverage, experts have said.
Chris Isokpunwu, secretary of the ministerial oversight committee for BHCPF, Federal Ministry of Health, while presenting a report on the implementation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) at a panel session on ‘Universal Coverage and Healthcare Funds’, at the ongoing NES28, disclosed that only 1,130,285 persons are currently enrolled and enjoying basic care services from the fund across the country.
He said this while noting that 43 percent of Nigerians which translates to about 86 million citizens are living in poverty and cannot afford quality healthcare. He also said six states – Rivers, Taraba, Akwa-Ibom, Borno, Lagos and Imo – are currently not accessing primary healthcare services.
BHCPF is largely derived from an annual grant from the Federal Government of Nigeria of not less than one percent of the consolidated revenue, and over N100 billion has been disbursed to states since its inception.
According to him, funding has been a major challenge in the delivery of healthcare to citizens. “We need to increase funding for BHCPF, states need to move in to mobilize funds and meet the 25 percent counterpart contribution for healthcare provision,” Isokpunwu said.
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Also speaking, Zainab Ahmed, minister of Finance, deplored the state of primary health care facilities across the country, stating that most of them do not have accommodation, light and water. While acknowledging the need to increase funding for basic health care, the minister said it is also important to ensure accountability in the use of funds, explaining that efficient utilization of funds will spur government to commit more funds. To this end, Ahmed said the Federal Government has designed a monitoring framework to ensure accountability in the utilisation of funds.
On increased funding, the minister proposed 1 percent from the Federation Allocation Account, and an increase in allocation for BHCPF.
On his part, Aminu Tambuwal, chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), and Sokoto state governor said he will present the need to increase allocation to BHCPF from 1 percent to 2 percent at the next National Economic Council.
He also urged that allocation and disbursement of healthcare funds to states should be performance-based for optimum utilisation of available resources.
Tambuwal further highlighted the challenges states face in the delivery of healthcare to include poor funding, insecurity, human resource deficits worsened by the persisting brain drain.
