KATSINA — The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has commended Katsina State’s healthcare reforms as the state launched 238 tricycle ambulances and 18 Advanced Life Support Ambulances and commissioned the newly upgraded General Hospital Charanchi.
Pate, who spoke on Tuesday during the commissioning of the hospital in Charanchi Local Government Area and the launch of the ambulances at Koda Primary Healthcare Centre, said Katsina had demonstrated that sustained commitment to healthcare financing and reforms could significantly expand access to quality medical services.
“Katsina State has demonstrated that when there is commitment to counterpart financing and healthcare reform, significant progress can be achieved in expanding access to healthcare,” the minister said.
He disclosed that health insurance enrolment in Katsina had increased from about 350,000 beneficiaries in 2023 to nearly 600,000 in 2026, while more than 184,000 new beneficiaries had been enrolled across the state’s 361 wards through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
Pate commended the state government for providing ₦243 million in counterpart funding and urged other states to emulate its commitment to healthcare financing.
He also disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had donated three additional ambulances to Katsina, raising the number of Advanced Life Support Ambulances launched from 15 to 18.
The minister further commended the state government’s response to the diphtheria outbreak and called on traditional, religious and community leaders to intensify advocacy for childhood vaccination.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda said the interventions were aimed at saving lives, improving emergency referrals and reducing delays in accessing medical care, particularly for residents of rural and hard-to-reach communities.
The 238 tricycle ambulances launched represent the first batch of 361 planned ambulances, with the intention of providing referral support to each ward in the state.
Executive Secretary/State Coordinator of the Katsina State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, Dr Adamu Saminu Adamu, said the deployment would strengthen the state’s emergency referral network.
The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Shema’u, said the ambulances would be particularly useful for referring pregnant women and other patients from hard-to-reach communities to secondary healthcare facilities.
Radda said the newly upgraded General Hospital Charanchi was one of six secondary healthcare facilities established by his administration.
Formerly a Comprehensive Health Centre, the facility has been upgraded to provide diagnostic, medical, surgical, maternity, emergency and other essential services to residents of Charanchi and neighbouring communities.
“General Hospital Charanchi is one of the six secondary healthcare facilities established by this administration. It is designed to provide quality and comprehensive healthcare services to the people of Charanchi and surrounding communities,” Radda said.
He disclosed that Charanchi was the fourth of the six hospitals to be established by his administration, while the general hospitals in Faskari and Mai’adua were at advanced stages and expected to be commissioned before the end of 2026.
At the primary healthcare level, the governor said more than 280 Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Centres had been renovated and revitalised, with the remaining 80 expected to be completed.
According to him, the upgraded facilities are designed for round-the-clock services and include staff quarters, healthcare personnel, water supply, solar electricity, basic medical equipment and tricycle ambulances for referrals.
Radda also disclosed that the state had enrolled 20,000 inmates, 20,000 persons living with disabilities and 50,000 Katsina State Community Watch Corps and vigilante personnel for free health insurance.
He said the initiative was intended to extend healthcare coverage to vulnerable residents and personnel involved in community security.
The governor highlighted other ongoing healthcare investments, including hospital solarisation, a pharmaceutical manufacturing centre and a modern diagnostic and therapeutic imaging centre at Gash.
He said the state had invested in specialist equipment, including a 3.0 Tesla MRI machine, cancer treatment technology and modern equipment for specialist theatres and laboratories.
Radda also disclosed that pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator procedures had been successfully performed on five patients at Gash Hospital, marking the first time such procedures had been carried out in the state.
On healthcare manpower, the governor said the administration had recruited more than 804 personnel for secondary healthcare facilities and about 3,000 workers for primary healthcare facilities over the past three years.
He added that postgraduate medical residency training had commenced in several departments, while doctors had been sponsored for postgraduate and subspecialisation programmes.
The government, he said, had also sponsored 41 medical students for MBBS studies in Egypt, with other batches sent to Ethiopia and another batch being prepared for studies in Russia.
During the minister’s visit to Katsina, Governor Radda also led Pate and his delegation on an inspection tour of the General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital, Katsina.
Pate inspected the hospital’s isolation centre, dialysis centre and the imaging centre under construction.
At the isolation centre, the minister was conducted round the facility by the Commissioner for Health, Hon. Musa Adamu, and assessed the services being provided.
He also inspected the dialysis centre and ongoing work at the imaging centre.
Pate expressed satisfaction with the facilities at the isolation centre and commended the state government for its response to health challenges and efforts to strengthen healthcare services.
The events were attended by the Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Nasir Yahaya Daura; Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Muyi Aina; senior government officials, traditional rulers, local government chairmen, development partners, security officials and healthcare professionals.
