LAGOS STATE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE BOARD ACCESSES BASIC HEALTH CARE PROVISION FUNDS.

The Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (LSPHCB) has started accessing the National Basic Health Care Provision Funds (NBHCPF) in line with the National Health Act that established the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), the constitutional provision that make Basic Health Care Provision Fund available to all the 36 States in Nigeria Federation. This disclosure was made by the Permanent Secretary to the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Ibrahim Akinwunmi Mustafa.

According to Dr. Mustafa, the commencement of the BHCPF program in Lagos State, seeks to increase overall financing to the health sector through the strengthening of the Primary Health Care System and to provide universal health coverage for all Lagosians. “there will be greater improvement in the health care provision and delivery in the primary health care centers for the people irrespective of the influx of people in the health facilities across the state and its environs to seek medical treatment”.

The Basic Health Care Provision Funds is a federal and state funded initiative, a component of the National Health Act of 2014, which calls for better investment within the health sector. It was signed into the 2019 fiscal budget by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018. The BHCPF also aims at providing free minimum basic healthcare to the poorest and more vulnerable Nigerians through accredited Primary Health Care Centre in each of the 36 state and federal capital territory.

Dr. Mustafa added that, the Basic Health Care Provision Funds (BHCF) will enable the people of Lagos State access adequate and comprehensive health care services at the Primary Health Care Centers located in all the 57 LGA/ LCDAs in the State. “This fund is timely as it will augment the effort of the Lagos State government in solving the problem of insufficient funding of the PHC’s. This will make more funds available for the PHC’s to meet some of their basic needs.

He further stated that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund is a special funding vehicle for improvement of primary health care in the country and it is for three main purposes: Half of the fund will be used to provide basic health packages in PHC facilities through NHIS. This will be used to procure health care services for the most vulnerable in the state. 45% of the fund will be used for purchasing essential drugs, vaccines and consumables, maintenance of facilities and its equipment, other logistics activities in the PHCs as enumerated in the BHCPF guidelines and to support availability of midwives.

He assured Lagosians that the PHCB will ensure an effective implementation of BHCPF in all of its PHCs where it will be operational.

He encouraged the public to make use of the PHC facilities.