Stakeholder perspectives on the governance and accountability of Nigeria's Basic Health Care Provision Fund.

Abstract

In recent decades, Nigeria has implemented a number of health financing reforms, yet progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has remained slow. In particular, the introduction of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) through the National Health Act of 2014 sought to increase coverage of basic health services in Nigeria. However, recent studies have shown that health financing schemes like the BHCPF in Nigeria are suboptimal and have frequently attributed this to weak accountability and governance of the schemes. However, little is known about the accountability and governance of health financing in Nigeria, particularly from the perspective of key actors within the system. This study explores perceptions around governance and accountability through qualitative in-depth interviews with key BHCPF actors, including high-level government officers, academics and Civil Society Organizations. Thematic analysis of the findings reveals broad views among respondents that financial processes are appropriately ring-fenced, and that financial mismanagement is not the most pressing accountability gap. Importantly, respondents report that accountability processes are unclear and weak in subnational service delivery, and cite low utilization, implicit priority setting and poor quality as issues. To accelerate UHC progress, the accountability framework must be redesigned to include greater strategic participation and leadership from subnational governments.