Senate Assures Health Stakeholders: Tinubu to Sign Bill Raising Health Fund to 2% CRF

The Punch highlights a significant development in Nigeria's healthcare sector as the Senate assures stakeholders that President Bola Tinubu is poised to assent to the National Health Act Amendment Bill. This crucial legislation seeks to double the funding for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) from one percent to two percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

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We had a National Health Act in 2014, and there was a provision for basic health care. But we know that this was only one per cent of the consolidated revenue fund. Our country’s population has been growing, and we still have a lot of preventable diseases that we should really attend to.

Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), emphasized that the current one percent allocation is insufficient for Nigeria's growing population and healthcare challenges. The increased funding is intended to directly bolster primary healthcare centers across all 774 local government areas, thereby improving access to essential services for women, children, and underserved communities. This focus on primary healthcare is a critical step towards achieving universal health coverage.

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But particularly, what the Basic Health Care Provision Fund can do in addressing the issues at the primary health care level. This is because it has pathways that fund all the primary health care centres across our 774 local government areas directly.

The Senate's assurance, coupled with the bill's widespread support from civil society organizations and development partners, signals a strong commitment to enhancing healthcare financing. The expectation is that the House of Representatives will expedite concurrence, paving the way for presidential assent. This move is seen as a major milestone, reflecting a proactive approach to addressing systemic issues in healthcare delivery and underscoring the administration's dedication to improving the well-being of Nigerians.

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It has now been taken by the Senate. We are also going to get concurrence from the House of Representatives, at which point it will now be taken to the President and Commander-in-Chief, Bola Tinubu, who is a very health-positive president. We have no doubts that he is going to assent to it.