FG approves N40.76bn health fund allocation, extends insurance to inmates
The Federal Government has approved N40.76bn for the third-quarter 2026 Basic Health Care Provision Fund and extended health insurance coverage to inmates. Read More:…
The Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) was established under the National Health Act of 2014 to strengthen primary healthcare delivery across Nigeria, with at least half of its allocation statutorily required to fund the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services through the National Health Insurance Authority. The fund draws from a percentage of the federal government's consolidated revenue, alongside grants and donor contributions, and is disbursed quarterly to states and frontline health facilities to improve access to maternal, child and emergency care at the grassroots level.
Extending health insurance coverage to inmates marks a notable expansion of the scheme's reach, as Nigeria's prison population has long faced documented gaps in access to medical care, with overcrowding and underfunded clinics contributing to poor health outcomes in correctional facilities. Coverage from Punch and Vanguard agrees on the headline figure of N40.76bn for the third quarter of 2026, with Vanguard specifying that roughly 90,000 inmates stand to benefit; neither report yet details how the funds will be apportioned among states, the timeline for rollout of inmate coverage, or which agencies will oversee implementation.