*100 million children get HPV measles vaccination By JOHN NWOKOCHA, Editor, Abuja
The Federal Government has disclosed that Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) had reached approximately ₦422.3 billion as of October 2026.The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate revealed this on Tuesday in his keynote address at the Third Joint Annual Review held in Abuja under the theme, “Together to Higher Grounds.”
The minister spoke more on healthcare financing reforms and gave details on cumulative releases.
Pate used the occasion to highlight gains recorded in primary healthcare, maternal and newborn survival, health insurance, local manufacturing and health security.
The minister further reported significant improvements in essential health services, with skilled deliveries in BHCPF facilities increasing from 4.8 million in 2023 to 7.9 million by the end of the second quarter of 2026, while fourth antenatal care visits rose from 6 million to 8.7 million. Outpatient attendance also increased to 43 million, while more than 17 million adolescent girls had received the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and measles and rubella vaccination had reached 100 million children.
Regarding financial protection, Pate disclosed that health insurance coverage had increased from approximately 16 million to nearly 24 million Nigerians within three years.
According to Pate, 3,526 primary healthcare centres had been revitalised, with work ongoing on another 900 facilities, while more than 8,000 BHCPF-supported facilities continued to benefit from the initiative achieved all 41 presidential commitments established for the health sector, recording significant progress in healthcare delivery, financing, infrastructure, local manufacturing and national health security under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The minister attributed the achievements to the commitment of the Tinubu administration through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Health Sector Strategic Blueprint.
He emphasised the commitment of federal and state governments, local governments and development partners to the unified framework of One Plan, One Budget, One Report, One Conversation and One Voice.
Professor Pate explained that the reforms, implemented through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), are strengthening governance, accountability and coordination across all levels of government.
On maternal and newborn health, Professor Pate revealed that 19,758 skilled birth attendants had been recruited across 22 states, while 4,747 community health workers had been engaged in 10 states and 78,054 frontline health workers trained.
He noted that the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) had increased the proportion of participating BHCPF facilities with at least two midwives or community health extension workers from 12 per cent to 91 per cent.
“Additionally, 750,000 pregnant women had been mapped to functional health facilities, while emergency transport services had conveyed 104,566 women and newborns.”
He added that 5,106 patients had benefited from up to 80 per cent reduction in dialysis costs, while 710 cancer patients received an 80 per cent subsidy on selected cancer medicines. The free 48-hour emergency care programme had also benefited more than 15,000 Nigerians across 507 empanelled facilities.
The Coordinating Minister also highlighted progress in local pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing, disclosing that ten factories or manufacturing lines had been commissioned, six in 2026, covering pharmaceuticals, rapid diagnostic tests, insecticide-treated nets and medical oxygen.
“The Presidential Executive Order on healthcare manufacturing had also facilitated ₦24 billion in tax waivers for pharmaceutical manufacturers, alongside 12 technology-transfer agreements and a prospective investment pipeline exceeding US$5 billion.”
Projecting into the future, Pate identified increased domestic health financing, equitable distribution of health workers, modernisation of federal tertiary hospitals, expanded health insurance coverage and accelerated digital transformation as key priorities.
The minister therefore called on all stakeholders to sustain collaboration, address implementation gaps and strengthen accountability, stressing that the ultimate measure of the reforms must be improved health outcomes and a better quality of life for all Nigerians
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