The National Assembly Joint Committee on Health has appealed to the Joint Committee on Appropriations to provide take-off grants to support newly established hospitals in Nigeria.
Senator Ipalibo Banigo, chairman of the joint committee, made the appeal on Wednesday while submitting the harmonised report of the Senate and House Committees on Health on the 2026 budget proposals of ministries, departments, and agencies.
She said the grants are crucial for ensuring the effective and efficient operation of the new health facilities by providing critical start-up funding to meet immediate operational needs.
The newly established hospitals include the Federal University Teaching Hospital in Lafia, Nasarawa State; the Federal University Teaching Hospital in Akure, Ondo State; and the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospitals in Otukpo, Benue State, and Ila-Orangun, Osun State.
Banigo said the government plans to allocate six per cent of the total budget, net of liabilities, to the health sector to strengthen healthcare systems across the country.
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She noted that this would help revitalise hospitals, improve access to essential drugs, and ensure quality healthcare services for Nigerians.
She also put the 2026 budget proposal for the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare at N2.136 trillion, comprising N1.17 trillion for personnel, N57.03 billion for overhead, and N924.25 billion for capital expenditure.
The committee observed that most hospitals had yet to receive full release of their 2024 appropriations.
“Although all of the 2024 appropriation had been uploaded, 60 per cent of the payment is still awaiting release, and in some cases, only 30 per cent of the appropriations have been paid,” Banigo stated.
Senator Mohammed Monguno, deputy chairman of the Appropriations Committee, assured that the matter would be addressed.