The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has advised Nigerians to alert relevant authorities to investigate alleged diversions of health funds in their domains.
Speaking on Channels TV on Wednesday, Pate accused Nigerians of changing their behavior to realize that “we all lose if we allow a few individuals to divert what is meant to provide basic health services in the primary care centers of health”.
He cited the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) for primary health care (PHC) and the lack of transparency in its implementation in some states.
In March, the Nigerian government authorized the disbursement of N25 billion through the BHCPF to all states of the federation.
Pate disclosed this at the sixth meeting of the BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee in Abuja, noting that the allocated funds were intended for direct funding of workforce facilities and incentives in all states.
Data available from the BHCPF and the African Health Budget Network shows that from 2019 to 2022, funds disbursed through the BHCPF totaled approximately N89 billion.
According to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), only 7,250 of the country’s 35,514 primary health care centers currently benefit from the BHCPF.
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Ensuring accountability
To ensure accountability, Pate noted that the government is implementing measures such as public disclosure of expenditures, hotlines to report misappropriation of funds, and quarterly progress reports.
“When we came in, we assessed, we audited, we looked at the auditor general’s report. We saw the deficits in many states. We engaged the commissioners and they have action plans to address the weaknesses in their fiduciary systems,” he said.
“When we disbursed for the first quarter of 2024. We did it publicly, we called the EFCC and ICPC to be on the lookout, and we provided a hotline and email for Nigerians on the front lines to report if there are any diversions or adverse effects. of those funds.
“This is so that everyone is honest in terms of the use of these public resources for health. And if there is collusion at the beginning, if the health worker who attends the Primary Health Care Center takes part of the money and gives it to the high-level official. That is something Nigeria will have to report.
The need for quarterly reports was signed in a pact with state governors, and the strategic pact was signed in December 2023 during the presentation of the health sector renewal investment initiative by President Bola Tinubu.
Pate reiterated that the Tinubu administration is committed and constantly monitoring and trying to improve in terms of accountability measures.
About BHCPF
The federal government established the BHCPF in 2014, under Section 11 of the National Health Act, to provide funding to improve access to primary health care.
It was designed to be funded with no less than one percent of the federal government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) and other sources, including donor contributions.
The Fund provides a Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS) aimed at increasing fiscal space for health, strengthening the national health system, particularly at the PHC level, and ensuring access to health care for all.