Senate Orders Probe Of COVID-19 Case In Cross River

The Senate has approved increased funding for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), raising it from one per cent to two per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), in a move aimed at strengthening primary healthcare delivery across Nigeria.

The approval followed consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) on the National Health Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Presenting the report, committee chairperson Ipalibo Banigo (Rivers West), who also sponsored the bill, recalled that the legislation was read for the second time on 22 October 2025.

She explained that the amendment seeks to revise provisions of the National Health Act by doubling the statutory allocation to the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

Banigo described primary healthcare as the foundation of a functional health system, noting that many facilities across the country continue to grapple with poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing and shortages of essential medicines.

“By raising the BHCPF from one per cent to two per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, we will strengthen frontline health facilities, recruit and retain skilled workers, and improve access to essential services, particularly for women, children and rural populations,” she said.

She added that the increase would help reduce the financial burden on households, many of whom currently bear a significant share of healthcare costs, and align Nigeria with other African countries that have adopted higher levels of domestic health investment.

The lawmaker noted that the BHCPF, established under Section 11 of the 2014 Act, was designed to provide a guaranteed minimum package of health services and represents Nigeria’s first statutory mechanism for sustainable health financing.

However, she said rising demand for services, declining donor support, and high out-of-pocket spending — estimated at over 75 per cent of total health expenditure — have rendered the existing one per cent allocation inadequate.

Meanwhile, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has directed a comprehensive investigation into reports of a new COVID-19 case in Cross River State.

Akpabio issued the directive at the close of Thursday’s plenary, mandating the Senate Committee on Health to examine the situation urgently.

The committee, chaired by Banigo, is expected to investigate the reported case and present its findings at the next legislative sitting.

“I understand that COVID has broken out in one of our states. I don’t know how far this is true, but I’ve been told that COVID has come back,” Akpabio said, urging relevant authorities to verify the information and brief the Senate.

The move follows reports of an isolated COVID-19 case in Cross River State, with concerns raised about surveillance, testing and response capacity.

Health authorities are said to be monitoring the situation closely, amid calls for heightened vigilance and adherence to public health guidelines.

Lawmakers said the probe would assess the public health response, the preparedness of health institutions, and measures needed to contain any potential spread.