By Murtala Muhammad
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has tasked stakeholders in the six states of the North East to ensure full implementation of the revised Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF)’s guideline to achieve better results and improved performance.
The Team Lead of the Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) Secretariat, Dr Dakum Longji Benji, who made the call in Bauchi during a one-day onboarding workshop, said such action would have a greater impact on the programme’s beneficiaries.
Dr Dakum Benji disclosed that the reforms in the latest guidelines include improved capitation and prompt release of funds to health facilities, enhanced healthcare for persons with disabilities, and an end to drug stock-out at the primary healthcare level.
He stated that the BHCPF has four gateways, to include the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, National Health Insurance Authority, and the National Emergency Medical Committee, all aimed at saving the lives of Nigerians.
Also speaking, the Technical Assistant to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Ashiru Adamu Abubakar said the objective of the workshop was to make all stakeholders abreast with the revised BHCPF guideline.
He said very soon, health facilities implementing BHCPF programme would receive huge amount of money for service to NIgerians, calling on citizens to hold them accountable and demand for the services as well as information on how these monies were spent.
In separate remarks, the Executive Chairmen, Primary Health Care Boards of Adamawa, Bauchi and Taraba Dr Ujulu Amos, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed and Tukura NyiGwa called on the ministry to address concerns around untimely release of funds to BHCPF facilities among others to avoid service failure.
The workshop was attended by the North Eastern State Commissioners of Health or Permanent Secretaries, representatives of Association of Local Government of Nigeria, Executive Secretaries of State Health Insurance Agencies,.
Others are Sector Wide Approach (SWap) Desk Officers, State Epidemiologists, Directors of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, and Chairmen of the State Emergency Medical Treatment Committee (SEMTC).
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