The House of Representatives has advanced a landmark legislative measure aimed at transforming healthcare delivery across Nigeria, passing for second reading A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Provision, Management and Utilization of Essential Drugs, Therapeutic Medical Devices and Hospital Consumables through the Administration of the Drug Revolving Fund Scheme in Public Health Institutions in Nigeria (HB. 1873) on Wedneday, November 11, 2026.
Sponsored by Hon. Adamu Ibrahim Gamawa, the bill seeks to establish a standardized, transparent, and legally backed operational framework for the Drug Revolving Fund scheme across all public health institutions in the country.
Presenting the intent of the legislation during the plenary debate, lawmakers emphasized that recurring shortages of essential drugs, poor inventory management, and out-of-stock syndromes in public hospitals have severely compromised patient care, particularly for low-income citizens who rely heavily on public health facilities.
The key objectives and framework of the Bill include to institutionalize a self-sustaining revolving fund model ensuring that funds generated from pharmaceutical sales are strictly plowed back into procuring quality essential medicines and consumables. It seeks to implement stringent governance, auditing, and transparent tracking mechanisms to prevent financial leakages, corruption, and mismanagement of medical supplies. It also seeks to protect vulnerable populations by guaranteeing consistent availability of safe, effective, and affordable drugs and therapeutic devices within public healthcare institutions. Moreover, it will bridge the gap in public health financing, reducing the burden of catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses for patients forced to purchase critical medications from unregulated private vendors.
Following the successful debate on its general principles during the second reading, Speaker of the House Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas referred the Bill to the House committee on Health Care Services for detailed legislative scrutiny.
