Only 15% of N233b released to health ministry in 2024 – Minister

From the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, came the revelation that only 15.06 percent of the total capital allocation to the health sector in 2024 was released to the Ministry for capital projects.

Specifically, Pate disclosed that out of the N233.656 billion allocated to the Ministry for capital projects in 2024, only N26.552 billion has been released to the Ministry and utilised.

The Minister explained that the delay in the release and cash backing of its capital allocation was due to the bottom-up cash plan policy of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

He stated these on Friday when he defended the Ministry’s 2025 budget proposal before the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Health.

According to the Minister, the Ministry was yet to receive a dime from the N57.393 billion captured under the multilateral/bilateral loan for capital projects.

He explained that the total budget to the Minister in 2024 stood at N242, 141,830,564.51 made of N7, 476,463,610 for personnel, N998, 739,547 for overhead and N233, 656,627,407.51 for capital.

He said this amount was slightly improved upon in the 2025 budget estimates to N10,361,373,890.69 for personnel, N1,590,382,403 for overhead, and N248,316,907,133 for capital.

The Minister told the Lawmakers that Nigeria’s health sector is guided by Vision 20:2020, the medium term (National Development Plan 2021-2025, and the National Strategic Health Development Plan.

READ ALSO: Rowdy session at N’Assembly over budget defence

He explained that the overreaching goal of the Constitution and the National Health Act is to guarantee the right to health for all Nigerians, adding that the 2016 national health policy provides an implementation b framework to translate the provisions of the National Health Act and sustainable development Goals into healthy blivew and wellbeing for all Nigerian citizens.

He stressed that the tenets of universal health coverage are central to the goal of the national health policy which is to strengthen Nigeria’s health system, particularly the primary health care system to deliver quality, efficient, equitable, accessible, acceptable, and comprehensive health care system to all Nigerians.

He explained further that the policies and strategies of the 2025 budget are derivable from the 2025-2027 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper which outline the development priorities of the government.

He said, “The year 2025 proposed budget of the Ministry was prepared using the budget preparation system on the GIFTS platform, which is compatible with the National Development Plan 2021-2025 approach which demands justification and allocation of resources to projects and programmes Inna given year based on needs and aligning with the policy of the government, especially as encapsulated in the core objectives and execution priorities.

“The Federal Ministry of Health budget proposal for 2025 is based on the National Health Policy 2016 and are guided by the new Strategic Blueprint Initiative which are the health sector policy instruments for achieving the ministerial deliverables of the federal government and the global agenda of universal health coverage.”

Responding to questions from lawmakers, the Minister said there was a need for Nigerians to unite for the promotion of the health sector in the country, adding that the current government was focusing on providing quality healthcare for Nigerians in the various federal hospitals.

He said the government was providing world-class facilities in hospitals across the country and building infrastructure with adequate qualified manpower, saying “We have the required qualified manpower in the country and that is why other countries are looking for our medical personnel.”