Minister urges Citizens to demand accountability as FG disburses N32.9bn to PHCs
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has announced the approval and release of N32.9 billion through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to primary health care facilities across the nation, while also charging citizens to actively monitor the spending to ensure transparency and effective utilization of the funds.
This financial injection comes as the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) rolls out a 10-year roadmap aimed at significantly reducing out-of-pocket expenses and accelerating Nigeria’s push toward Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
In a statement on Wednesday, Pate stressed that the funds are not bottlenecked in Abuja; they have already begun their journey into the commercial bank accounts of Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in every ward across Nigeria.
"This money is not sitting in Abuja; it has already begun its journey into the commercial bank accounts of primary health care facilities in every ward across Nigeria. It is your clinic’s money. It is your community’s chance. It is your country’s promise,” he charged citizens.
The funds are earmarked for strengthening PHC delivery nationwide through the provision of essential services, improving infrastructure, and supporting emergency treatment.
Minister Pate explained that the BHCPF mechanism grants each facility the autonomy to plan and spend the funds in partnership with the communities they serve. This spending collaboration must involve the local health committee, traditional leaders, women's and youth groups, and faith-based organisations, who are expected to “sit together, decide together, and spend together on what will make your facility stronger, safer, and more ready to serve.”
However, Pate lamented a recurring problem: community indifference. He warned that the impact of the programme could be severely undermined if local members fail to actively monitor how the funds are utilized.
"Too often, we have observed that communities stand aside. Our community members and institutions do not ask how the money is used, or if it reaches the people it was meant for. When that happens, silence becomes a loss," he cautioned.
Reiterating the need for active Nigerian participation in local health governance, the Minister urged citizens to engage with facility committees, demand transparency, celebrate achievements, and ensure the funds deliver tangible improvements.
He framed the disbursement as an investment that requires nurturing: “Each naira in this N32.9 billion is a seed. When you nurture it with vigilance and pride, it grows into medicine, safe births, better infrastructure, and lives saved. When you neglect it, it withers into waste.”
The BHCPF, established under the National Health Act, is a key financing mechanism intended to strengthen the primary healthcare system and improve access to basic health services, particularly for Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations.
“Let this Red Letter reach every community, every ward, and every home. Let it remind us that the health of Nigeria lies in the hands of Nigerians," Pate appealed.