Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has commissioned the first General Hospital in Zango Local Government Area as part of efforts to improve healthcare delivery across the state.
The governor inaugurated the facility on Thursday, describing it as a major milestone that would reduce the burden on residents who previously travelled long distances to access secondary healthcare services.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, Radda said the hospital, which was upgraded from a Comprehensive Health Centre, had been equipped with modern diagnostic and treatment facilities to provide medical and surgical services.
“For the first time in the history of this local government, our people will access quality secondary healthcare without travelling long distances,” the governor said.
Radda said his administration had prioritised healthcare development, noting that four health facilities in Kafur, Charanchi, Zango and Dandume had been upgraded to General Hospitals within the last three years.
He added that similar projects in Mai’adua and Faskari were nearing completion, while reconstruction work was ongoing at General Hospital Daura. He also disclosed that renovation works were being carried out at General Hospitals Kankara and Mani.
The governor further highlighted other healthcare interventions, including the renovation of operating theatres at major hospitals, the establishment of a 16-bed Dialysis Centre at General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital and the construction of an ultra-modern Ophthalmology Division.
He said more than 280 Primary and Comprehensive Healthcare Centres had also been renovated across the state, while solar power systems were installed at General Hospitals Katsina and Kankia to improve electricity supply.
Radda also announced plans to establish Katsina’s first pharmaceutical manufacturing centre to produce drugs and medical consumables locally.
“These investments are deliberate. Our goal is a healthcare system that serves every citizen, no matter where they live,” he said.
On healthcare manpower, the governor said his administration had recruited 804 health professionals within three years and secured accreditation for six specialist hospitals to run postgraduate residency training programmes in various medical fields.
He also disclosed that the state had sponsored medical students abroad, with 41 MBBS students currently studying in Egypt, while other batches had been sent to Ethiopia and plans were underway to sponsor another group to Russia.
The Commissioner for Health, Musa Adamu Funtua, described the hospital commissioning as another step in the government’s healthcare transformation agenda, while Zango Local Government Chairman, Babangida Aliyu Yardaje, thanked the governor for delivering what he described as a historic project for the area.
