Health Minister commends Katsina healthcare reforms, commissions new Charanchi General Hospital, 361 PHCs to receive 238 tricycle ambulances
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, on Tuesday commissioned the newly upgraded General Hospital Charanchi and launched 238 Tricycle Ambulances and 18 Advanced Life Support Ambulances in Katsina State
Speaking at the event, Prof. Pate commended Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s investment in healthcare infrastructure, emergency response and affordable healthcare services.
Prof. Pate disclosed that health insurance enrolment in Katsina had grown 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 361 wards through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
“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 commended the State Government for providing ₦243 million in counterpart funding and urged other states to emulate Katsina’s commitment to healthcare financing and reforms.
Prof. Pate also announced the donation of three additional ambulances to Katsina by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, increasing 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 urged traditional, religious and community leaders to intensify advocacy for childhood vaccination.
Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, who spoke at the commissioning in Charanchi Local Government Area and the ambulance launch at Koda Primary Healthcare Centre, said the interventions were designed to save lives, improve referrals and reduce delays in accessing medical care, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
“The 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,” Governor Radda said.
The newly upgraded General Hospital Charanchi, formerly a Comprehensive Health Centre, is equipped to provide diagnostic, medical, surgical, maternity, emergency and other essential healthcare services to Charanchi and neighbouring communities.
He disclosed that Charanchi is the fourth of the six secondary healthcare facilities being established by his administration, while the general hospitals in Faskari and Mai’adua are at advanced stages and expected to be commissioned before the end of 2026.
At the primary healthcare level, Governor Radda said more than 280 Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Centres had been renovated and revitalised, with the remaining 80 expected to be completed to ensure upgraded healthcare facilities across all 361 wards of the state.
According to him, the facilities are designed to operate round the clock with staff quarters, healthcare personnel, water supply, solar electricity, basic medical equipment and Tricycle Ambulances to support referrals to secondary health facilities.
The Governor said the establishment of the Katsina State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, alongside the deployment of the ambulances, would strengthen emergency response and create a more effective referral system across the state.
He also announced that 20,000 inmates, 20,000 persons living with disabilities and 50,000 personnel of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps and vigilante groups had been enrolled for free health insurance.
Governor Radda said the intervention reflects his administration’s determination to extend healthcare coverage to vulnerable residents and personnel contributing to the security of communities.
The Governor further highlighted ongoing investments in hospital solarisation, a pharmaceutical manufacturing centre and a modern diagnostic and therapeutic imaging centre at Gash.
He said the administration had also invested in specialist medical equipment, including a 3.0 Tesla MRI machine, cancer treatment technology and modern equipment for specialist theatres and laboratories.
Governor Radda disclosed that pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator procedures had, for the first time in the state, been successfully performed on five patients at Gash Hospital.
On healthcare manpower, he said the administration had recruited more than 804 personnel for secondary healthcare facilities and about 3,000 workers for primary healthcare facilities over the last three years.
He added that the government had commenced postgraduate medical residency training in several departments and sponsored doctors for postgraduate and subspecialisation programmes. Forty-one medical students were also sponsored for MBBS studies in Egypt, with other batches sent to Ethiopia and another being prepared for Russia.
Also speaking, Commissioner for Health, Hon. Musa Adamu, said the projects demonstrated Governor Radda’s commitment to translating healthcare policies into practical interventions that directly benefit residents.
The Executive Secretary/State Coordinator of the Katsina State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, Dr. Adamu Saminu Adamu, said the 238 Tricycle Ambulances launched were the first batch of the 361 planned for the state’s 361 wards.
The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Shema’u, said the ambulances would strengthen referrals, particularly for pregnant women and other patients in hard-to-reach communities, and contribute to reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
The event was 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 leaders, local government chairmen, development partners, security officials and healthcare professionals.
