Over N203 billion has been released by the Federal Government through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) for the upgrade of 8,000 out of the over 40,000 health facilities in the country, in the last four years.

This leaves a gap of about 32,000 facilities that are not currently participating in the one per cent consolidated revenue fund implementation through BHCPF.

MEANWHILE, the Global Fund, through the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) grant, has made available about $1.8 million for the training of 25,000 frontline health workers in 13 states.

NMEP, working with the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Department of Hospital Services in the Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, have agreed that these resources can train about 25,000 health workers, but will be selected from the 13 Global Fund supported states.

Acting Executive Secretary of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for Global Fund, Ibrahim Tajudeen, disclosed this, while answering questions from journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, after a National Media Meeting on the Global Fund Malaria Community-led Monitoring Project being implemented by the Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN).

He recalled that when the BHCPF was recommended to the National Health Act, one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Funds was expected to be allocated to the BHCPF yearly, adding that the sector-wide approach will help to redesign the current BHCPF.

Tajudeen added that the Federal Government had already announced that the facilities that will be participating in BHCPF will be increased from the current 8,800 to 17,000; and if Nigeria is able to achieve that within the next two years, it means that progress is being made.

He said that the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is expected to relieve and remove physical and financial pains from citizens, stressing that if additional resources that have been mobilised through the Global Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and other key stakeholders in Nigeria are channeled properly, Nigeria would likely achieve UHC, especially if the country eliminates waste, duplication and reduce cost of service delivery through efficiency and effectiveness.

He explained that Global Fund is supporting 13 states, while the Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) of the United States U.S. government is supporting 11 states in Nigeria on Malaria, HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) elimination.