18/06/2026
NCD Patients Advocacy Working Group, LISDEL Secure Historic Commitment from House Committee Chair to Double BHCPF Funding and Subsidize Hypertension Care
ABUJA, NIGERIA – In a major breakthrough for health financing and chronic disease management in Nigeria, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions, Hon. Patrick Umoh, has promised absolute legislative backing to amend the National Health Act to double the allocation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) from 1% to 2% of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).
Hon. Umoh made this commitment while engaging in high-level advocacy in Abuja with the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Patient Advocacy Working Group, supported by the Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development (LISDEL).
In an unprecedented show of support from the legislature, the Chairman, praised LISDEL’s technical inputs into the health sector and offered the organisation a “open cheque” and urged them to present to the committee, in a formal way, all statutory frameworks, policy changes and requests needed to move the country’s health agenda forward.
Addressing the delegation, Hon. Umoh expressed a strong position against Nigeria’s reliance on external funding for health, adding that domestic funding is directly linked to the dignity of the nation. “If I am an executive, I will be the last to allow counterpart funding,” Hon. Umoh said. The more vulnerable you are, your sovereignty is challenged.”
The legislator also called for robust national funding of health research and development (R&D) and promised to champion subsidized drugs for hypertension, reflecting a personal wish to look after the aged. “We want to see our older population much more around,” he said, promising that he will make sure that hypertension is a priority in upcoming budget talks and subsequent releases of funds.
The advocacy meeting offered an opportunity for citizens directly affected by chronic cardiovascular conditions to share their experiences with policy leaders. Mr. Usman Haruna Vulegbo, a patient living with hypertension, appreciated the chairman for his open leadership but warned that the level of public awareness of blood pressure management remains dangerously low in remote, rural areas. Madam Rose Okoronkwo, who lost her husband due to complications from high blood pressure, passionately appealed for subsidized treatment options and functional local emergency healthcare facilities to prevent avoidable death.
Moving Forward
Follow-Up Engagement: Maintain direct communication with the committee secretariat to track the progress of the health bill amendment.
Partner with the NCD working group to outline community-level awareness strategies that can be integrated into future committee oversight functions.
