The Federal Government has disbursed close to N50 billion directly to Primary Health Centres (PHCs) nationwide through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF).

This was disclosed on Monday by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle.

According to the minister, the administration has also released over N20 billion to support the rehabilitation and upgrade of 4,362 PHCs across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Pate explained that the BHCPF, funded by at least one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund and contributions from development partners, is designed to provide a Basic Minimum Package of Health Services. The goal is to expand health financing and strengthen national health systems.

He stated, “Between 2023 and now, nearly N50 billion has been directly allocated to PHCs across the country through the Fund, yielding visible improvements and the modernisation of health infrastructure in all local government areas.”

Providing further updates on healthcare reform, the minister noted that health insurance enrollment is expected to exceed the 2024 figure of 2.4 million by the end of the year.

He also revealed that over 37 million visits were made to PHCs across the country in the first quarter of 2025, which he described as part of a broader effort to transform healthcare delivery using data-driven approaches.

“This progress coincides with the disbursement of more than N20 billion to revamp and upgrade over 4,000 PHCs in the northern region and the FCT under the BHCPF, with comparable progress being recorded in southern states as well,” he added.

“With over 37 million PHC visits recorded nationwide in just the first quarter of 2025, we are witnessing a comprehensive re-engineering of basic healthcare provision for Nigeria’s vast population.”