The Federal Government has approved the disbursement of ₦40.76 billion for the third-quarter 2026 allocation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), alongside a policy directive extending national health insurance cover to 90,000 prison inmates nationwide.
The announcement was made by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, following the 16th BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting in Abuja. The allocation reflects a ₦7.88 billion increase compared to the previous quarter, bolstered by improved statutory federal revenue inflows.
Under the approved financing framework, the funds are channelled across four statutory gateways. The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) received the largest share of ₦19.87 billion (48.77 per cent) to fund premiums under the Vulnerable Group Fund and reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses for impoverished citizens.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) was allocated ₦18.34 billion (45 per cent) to provide direct operational grants for essential drugs, facility maintenance, and clinical personnel incentives. The National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) received ₦2.04 billion (5 per cent) to strengthen rural ambulance networks and emergency trauma pathways, whilst the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) was allocated ₦509.48 million (1.25 per cent) for disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness.
In a major policy expansion, the ministry confirmed that functional Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) receiving direct disbursements will increase from 8,000 to over 13,000 facilities nationwide. The selection of the additional 5,000 facilities is being determined by local disease burdens, maternal mortality indices, and population density.
The ministerial committee also formalised the inclusion of approximately 90,000 inmates across Nigerian correctional facilities into the Vulnerable Group Health Insurance Scheme. Working in partnership with the Nigerian Correctional Service, the NHIA will issue biometrically verified health insurance cards to inmates, granting them access to primary and secondary healthcare services within designated clinics and state general hospitals.
Addressing previous concerns over the misapplication of primary healthcare funding at sub-national levels, Prof. Pate warned that state primary healthcare boards that fail to provide reconciled financial accounts for previous allocations will be barred from receiving subsequent quarterly disbursements.
