President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday directed the ministry of health to track the disbursement and utilisation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
Mr Buhari issued the directive at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Ministerial Performance Review Retreat in Abuja.
According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, the president said the health ministry should put in a monitoring and evaluation framework and work in collaboration with relevant agencies to achieve this task.
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 financed from not less than one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the federal government and other sources including donors’ contributions.
The Fund provides a Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS) aimed at increasing the fiscal space for health, strengthening the national health system, particularly at the PHC level, and ensuring access to healthcare for all.
Although it was established in 2014, the actual implementation of the law, including the release of funds, did not commence until 2018.
President Buhari, who described the two-day retreat as time well-spent, said it has provided an opportunity for ‘‘reflection and lesson learning aimed at reviewing progress and agreeing on key actions that will ensure we finish well by the end of our Administration come May 29th, 2023.’’
“We have used the opportunity provided by this retreat to carry out an objective assessment of our commitments in line with the contract we signed with the Nigerian people at the inception of this administration in 2019.
“I am glad to note that we have sustained this yearly stock-taking innovative initiatives introduced in 2019 by holding three consecutive Performance Review Retreats in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. This has helped us to clearly identify what we have done, what needs to be done and how best to get it done.
“From the assessment report and discussions at this retreat, it is evident that we have made appreciable progress through collective efforts in setting the nation on the path of sustainable development while improving the well-being of our people.
“Notwithstanding these achievements, there are still unfinished businesses that we must speedily complete to ensure we finish well. We must, therefore, endeavour to close every gap in our implementation efforts to ensure the attainment of set targets by 2023,” he said.
