FG Boosts Health Budget By 60% To Strengthen Healthcare Delivery
By MAHMOOD MALIK MUSA (M.M.M.) IBRAHIM
THE Federal Government has announced a 60 per cent increase in the national health budget as part of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to enhance healthcare delivery and address workforce challenges.
Speaking at the 2025 Joint Annual Health Sector Review in Abuja, Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the additional funding will support vaccine procurement, epidemic preparedness, and overall health system strengthening.
Pate highlighted that 84 per cent of key health reform indicators are on track, with maternal deaths down 17 per cent and newborn deaths down 12 per cent across 172 high-burden local governments. Over 15,000 new health workers have been recruited, 435 primary healthcare facilities revitalised, and access to skilled birth attendants increased by 33 per cent.
Visits to facilities funded by the Basic Health Care Provision Fund rose from 10 million in early 2024 to 45 million by mid-2025, while immunisation coverage for measles, yellow fever, and HPV vaccines improved. Family planning uptake grew by 10 per cent, citizen trust in health reforms reached 55 per cent, and patient satisfaction rose to 74 per cent.
Prof. Pate also announced ₦50 billion to clear outstanding allowances and resolve long-standing workforce issues.
Finance Minister Wale Edun noted that the federal health budget has increased from ₦131.5 billion in 2024 to ₦299 billion in 2026, marking nearly a 60 per cent rise, while Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, highlighted plans to integrate health and human capital priorities into Nigeria’s 2026–2050 National Development Plan.
Through ward-level mapping of all 8,809 wards, coordinated health plans will feed into state and national priorities, improving accountability and grassroots healthcare outcomes.
