Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has commissioned the first General Hospital in Zango Local Government Area, describing the facility as a major milestone in his administration’s efforts to expand access to quality healthcare across the state.
The governor also announced plans to establish Katsina State’s first pharmaceutical manufacturing plant to produce drugs and medical consumables, while revealing that a third batch of state-sponsored MBBS students would soon be sent to Russia for medical training.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, Governor Radda said the new hospital, upgraded from a Comprehensive Health Centre, would, for the first time, provide residents of Zango with secondary healthcare services without the need to travel long distances.
He said the hospital is equipped with modern diagnostic and treatment facilities for medical and surgical services.
According to the governor, the commissioning forms part of a broader healthcare reform programme that has seen four health facilities in Kafur, Charanchi, Zango and Dandume upgraded to General Hospitals over the past three years, while similar upgrades in Mai’adua and Faskari are nearing completion.
He added that reconstruction work is ongoing at General Hospital Daura, while renovation projects are in progress at General Hospitals Kankara and Mani.
Governor Radda also highlighted other achievements in the health sector, including the renovation of operating theatres at General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital, Turai Yar’adua Maternal and Children Hospital and General Hospital Katsina to strengthen specialist healthcare services.
He disclosed that the state had established a 16-bed dialysis centre, which he described as one of the most advanced in North-West Nigeria, while an ultra-modern ophthalmology division is under construction at General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital.
The governor said more than 280 Primary and Comprehensive Healthcare Centres had been renovated across Katsina State, with solar power systems installed at General Hospitals in Katsina and Kankia to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply.
To address manpower shortages, Radda said his administration had recruited 804 healthcare professionals within three years and secured accreditation for six specialist hospitals to conduct postgraduate residency training in Paediatrics, Surgery, Internal Medicine, Radiology, Family Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
He added that funding had also been approved for the accreditation of Dental Therapy Units in five General Hospitals to facilitate internship training.
On medical education, the governor said 41 state-sponsored MBBS students currently studying in Egypt are in their third year, while a second batch has been sent to Ethiopia. He announced that a third batch would soon proceed to Russia for medical training.
“These investments are deliberate. Our goal is a healthcare system that serves every citizen, no matter where they live,” the governor said, urging residents of Zango to protect the new hospital and support its staff.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Hon. Musa Adamu Funtua, described the commissioning of the hospital as another milestone in the state’s healthcare transformation programme, saying it would improve access to affordable and quality healthcare, particularly for rural communities.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State, Dr. Bashir Gambo Saulawa, said the hospital would improve healthcare delivery for women, children and expectant mothers while reducing pressure on other major hospitals in the state.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Zango Local Government Council, Hon. Babangida Aliyu Yardaje, thanked Governor Radda for fulfilling his promise to establish the first General Hospital in the area, describing the project as a historic intervention that would improve the health and wellbeing of residents.
The event was attended by the Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Nasir Yahaya Daura; the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Abdulkadir Mamman Nasir; APC National Legal Adviser, Barr. Murtala Kankia; the District Head of Zango, Alhaji Hafiz Adamu Malkan Daura; members of the State Executive Council, traditional rulers and party leaders.
