The Federal Government has released ₦40.7 billion to strengthen primary healthcare delivery across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, while approving plans to extend basic health insurance coverage to about 90,000 inmates in correctional facilities nationwide.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this in Abuja at the end of the third-quarter meeting of the Ministerial Oversight Committee on the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
Pate said improved government revenues had strengthened healthcare financing, with monthly disbursements into the fund and allocations to states almost doubling.
He also disclosed plans to bring an additional 5,000 primary healthcare facilities into the programme, adding to the more than 8,000 facilities already benefiting from the fund.
According to him, the new facilities would be selected based on equity considerations, including disease burden, population size and distance to existing healthcare services, to ensure that underserved communities receive greater attention.
He said: “States should at least put that alongside the local government and even do more, because these are issues at the subnational level.”
While urging state and local governments to increase their investments in healthcare delivery, the minister said savings made through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency would also support the recruitment of frontline health workers, with state governments expected to assume increasing responsibility for their employment over the next three years.
He further urged parents to ensure that their children receive routine immunisation against diphtheria and called for stronger interventions by state governments to tackle Lassa fever and other public health emergencies.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said the government was also prioritising transparency and efficiency in the management of healthcare funds through improved procurement and accountability mechanisms.
“The administration is not only concerned about expanding the funding, but also ensuring that the funds are deployed efficiently to achieve maximum impact,” Salako said.
On efforts to expand health insurance coverage, the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Kelechi Ohiri, said the committee had approved the inclusion of inmates in the Vulnerable Group Fund of the health insurance programme.
The initiative is expected to provide basic health insurance coverage to approximately 90,000 inmates who may otherwise face difficulties accessing healthcare services.
Ohiri said inmates required particular attention because of their vulnerability to certain illnesses, including tuberculosis and substance-use-related conditions.
“The prison has also a risky group of people; they are prone to things like tuberculosis, substance abuse, and other things. So again, that’s why we feel it’s important to apply a separate premium.”
He explained that the NHIA would adopt a risk-adjusted funding approach to reflect the healthcare needs of the population being covered.
The authority would also work with the Nigerian Correctional Service to identify inmates who were not already covered by state health insurance schemes, in order to prevent duplication and ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive the benefits.
Ohiri said existing standards for healthcare facility accreditation, referrals and service monitoring would apply to the programme, while the confidentiality of inmates’ medical records would be protected.
He added that the authority was strengthening its complaints management system, disclosing that about 87 per cent of complaints received were resolved within 48 hours.
However, he said the NHIA would need to obtain feedback proactively from inmates, who might face difficulties reporting denied treatment or poor-quality services.
The authority, he added, would continue working with state health insurance agencies to improve financial management, data systems and compliance with regulatory requirements.