Katsina deploys 238 tricycle ambulances to rural health centres

The Katsina State Government has commenced the deployment of 238 tricycle ambulances to primary healthcare centres across the state to improve access to emergency medical services in rural communities.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, launched the ambulances on Tuesday in Katsina.

The vehicles constitute the first batch of 361 tricycle ambulances planned for the state, with one expected to serve each of the 361 wards.

The government also unveiled 18 advanced life support ambulances, following the donation of three additional units by the Federal Government. The number was increased from the initial 15 after President Bola Tinubu approved the extra vehicles.

Pate disclosed that health insurance coverage in Katsina had risen from about 350,000 beneficiaries in 2023 to nearly 600,000 in 2026.

He added that more than 184,000 people had recently been enrolled across the state’s 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,” Pate said.

The minister said the state had contributed N243m in counterpart funding for healthcare interventions, urging other states to demonstrate similar commitment.

He also commended Katsina’s response to the diphtheria outbreak and called on traditional, religious and community leaders to intensify campaigns for childhood vaccination.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda said the ambulance deployment was designed to reduce delays in accessing medical care and strengthen referrals across the state.

“We’re expanding access to quality care across all 361 wards,” Radda said.

The governor disclosed that more than 280 comprehensive primary healthcare centres had been renovated and revitalised, while work on the remaining 80 facilities was expected to be completed.

He said the upgraded centres would operate 24 hours a day and be equipped with staff quarters, water supply, solar power, basic medical equipment and tricycle ambulances.

At the secondary healthcare level, Radda commissioned the upgraded General Hospital, Charanchi, describing it as one of six secondary healthcare facilities established by his administration.

“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,” he said.

Radda added that hospitals in Faskari and Mai’adua were at advanced stages of completion and would be commissioned before the end of 2026.

He further disclosed that 20,000 inmates, 20,000 persons living with disabilities and 50,000 members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps and vigilante groups had been enrolled in the state’s free health insurance scheme.

The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Shema’u, said the tricycle ambulances would support referrals, particularly for pregnant women and residents of hard-to-reach communities.

“The ambulances will strengthen referrals, particularly for pregnant women and other patients in hard-to-reach communities, and contribute to reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths,” she said.