By Muhammad Amaan
The Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has revealed that a total of N22 billion was disbursed to states in 2024 through NPHCDA gateway while N51 billion was disbursed across all four Basic Healthcare Provision Fund gateways last year.
Executive Director of the agency, Dr Muyi Aina, who disclosed this, said in terms of health services, said that over six million children have been fully vaccinated against vaccine preventable diseases.
Speaking at the first quarterly media briefing by the agency in Abuja on Tuesday, the Executive Director said that federal government was substantially increasing the amount of money going to the health facilities.
He said: “In 2024, a total of N22 billion was disbursed to states in 2024 through NPHCDA gateway while N51 billion was disbursed across all four Basic Healthcare Provision Fund gateways.
“This year, we are substantially increasing the amount of money going to the facilities.
“Based on this, we are increasing the number of BHCPF supported PHC facilities from 8,406 to ~17,600 over 4 years.”
Following the assessment conducted by the agency, Dr Aina said that NPHCDA identified and delisted non-functional PHCs to be replaced.
“It is also important to state that we are not expanding to two PHCs per ward. What we are doing is working with the states and sub-national units to allocate the additional facilities to wards on a needs-based depending on the gaps, disease burden, high population and other equity considerations. Some will have 1, 2 or 3 facilities per ward depending on needs.
“For the NPHCDA gateway, we have embarked on some reforms for BHCPF 2.0 including increasing the quarterly allocation to facilities, from N300,000.
“The high-volume facilities will now get N800,000 per quarter while the low volume facilities will get N600,000 per quarter to support service utilization, in addition to other incomes that facilities will get from capitation from the National Health Insurance Authority and other insurance programme,” he said.
Speaking on service delivery, the Executive Director said the country is witnessing an increased utilization of primary health care centres with over 20 million patients recorded across the PHC centres per quarter.
“This is an increase from what it was even a year ago. The number of women accessing ante-natal care has doubled. In 2024, 6 million Pregnant Women received folic Acid and Multiple Micronutrient supplementation; 43 million Children have received Vitamin A supplementation; 9 million children received deworming tablets.
In terms health services, Dr Aina said that over six million children have been fully vaccinated against vaccine preventable diseases.
“We are also working with government resources through intervention funds which the president generously provided but also through the support of our development partners to offset the increasing cost of medicines and increasing out of pocket expenditure to provide priority commodities. Essential medicines have been procured for distribution to these priority primary health care centres.
“Maternal care and reproductive commodities that have been hitherto underfunded are now receiving more resources as well as specific innovative commodities targeting reducing maternal mortality have been procured,” he said.
