15.06% 2024 capital allocation to Health released – Minister
By Tom Okpe
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare has revealed that only 15.06 percent of the total capital allocation to the Health sector in 2024, for capital projects, was released to the Ministry.
The Minister, Prof Mohammed Ali Pate also said 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 Accountant General of the Federation, oAGF.
Speaking during the Ministry’s 2025 budget Defence and allocation to the Ministry before the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Health, at the National Assembly, Abuja on Friday, Prof. Pate said out of the N233.656 billion allocated to the Ministry for capital projects in 2024, only N26. 552 billion was released to the Ministry and utilised.
According to the Minister, the Ministry was yet to receive a single Kobo 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 projects.
“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 project.”
He said: “The overreaching goal of the Constitution and the National Health Act is to guarantee the right to health for all Nigerians.
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“The 2016 National Health Policy provides an implementation framework to translate provisions of the National Health Act and Sustainable Development Goals into healthy relieve and wellbeing for all Nigerian citizens.
“This 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.
“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.
He further stressed that 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 In a given year, based on needs and aligning with the policy of 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, 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,” he added.
Responding to questions from lawmakers, the Minister said there are needs for Nigerians to unite for the promotion of the Heath sector in the country, adding that the current Government, focused on providing quality healthcare for Nigerians in the various Federal hospitals adding; “despite challenges in the country, the health sector has improved tremendously with a lot of good things, happening in the sector which are not known to Nigerians.”
