By Iyemah David
The Coordinator of the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), Dr Aminu Magashi Garba has called on the Federal Government to allocate a portion of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) through its third gateway, emergency medical services, to support the National Blood Services Agency (NBSA).
Dr Magashi made the call at the 2025 NBSA Conference and Stakeholders’ Engagement in Abuja, themed “Give Blood, Give Hope: Together We Save Lives.”
He stressed that sustainable and strategic financing for safe blood services is crucial to saving lives, particularly during emergencies such as childbirth complications, traffic accidents, and surgical procedures.
“The third gateway within BHCPF that focuses on emergency medical services should allocate a small but significant percentage to support the operations of the NBSA.
“This will ensure we have a continuous supply of safe blood products, especially at the primary healthcare level,” he said.
He noted that while the BHCPF currently supports critical services such as immunization and maternal health, it does not yet make dedicated provision for blood services. As a result, the NBSA remains underfunded despite its vital role in emergency response.
“Safe blood is a lifeline. Without dedicated funding, the agency cannot meet the urgent and growing demand across the country. This affects maternal health, trauma care, and emergency surgeries,” he said.
Stakeholders at the conference, including civil society organizations, healthcare professionals, and representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, endorsed the proposal, describing it as a practical and necessary step to strengthen Nigeria’s emergency healthcare response and improve access to universal health coverage.
A representative of the Ministry of Health acknowledged the concerns raised and assured participants that the proposal would be reviewed during the ongoing reassessment of BHCPF funding priorities.
The conference concluded with a collective commitment to advocate for increased budgetary allocation to NBSA and to scale up efforts promoting voluntary blood donation nationwide.
