The Joint Committee on Health of Nigeria’s National Assembly has appealed to the Joint Committee on Appropriations to make financial provisions for take-off grants to support newly established federal hospitals across the country.
Chairman of the committee, Ipalibo Banigo, made the appeal on Wednesday while presenting the harmonised report of the joint Senate and House Committees on Health on the 2026 budget proposals of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Banigo said the proposed take-off grants were critical to ensuring the effective and efficient operation of the new health facilities, noting that they would provide essential start-up funding to address immediate operational needs.
The newly established hospitals include the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia and the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Akure.
Others are the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo and the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ila-Orangun.
Banigo stated that the Federal Government is targeting an investment of six per cent of the total national budget allocation to the health sector, net of liabilities, as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare systems nationwide.
“The aim is to revitalise our hospitals with medication and better resources, and to care for all Nigerians by procuring essential drugs for distribution to the public, ensuring quality healthcare facilities nationwide,” she said.
She disclosed that the 2026 budget proposal for the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare includes N1.17 trillion for personnel costs, N57.03 billion for overheads, and N924.25 billion for capital expenditure, bringing the total allocation to N2.14 trillion.
The committee, she added, observed during its review of the 2025 budget performance and the 2026 budget defence that many hospitals were yet to receive 100 per cent of their 2024 appropriations.
“Although all of the 2024 appropriation had been uploaded, about 60 per cent of payments are still outstanding, and in some cases as much as 30 per cent of the appropriations remain unpaid,” Banigo said.
Responding, the Deputy Chairman of the Joint Committee on Appropriations, Mohammed Monguno, assured lawmakers that the committee would look into the funding concerns raised by the health committee.
