By; SULAIMAN AHMED MISAU, Katsina
Katsina State Government has established the state’s first-ever Council on Health as part of its efforts to improve healthcare access for its residents across the 34 local government areas in the state.
However, the state Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed announced the commencement of the construction of 102 health facilities in the state.
According to the statement, Governor Radda made the disclosure during inauguration ceremony of the Council’s held at the state secretariat conference hall on Monday, May 6, 2024.
This ambitious project he said would see three new health facilities built in each of the state’s 34 local governments to ensure improved access to basic healthcare services for residents across Katsina.
Governor Radda highlighted several key investments embarked upon by his administration to strengthen the state’s healthcare system.
He said these includes:- “the release of over one billion naira for the upgrade of the Faskari Comprehensive Health Center to a General Hospital and the completion of the ongoing Kafur General Hospital project;
Others include funds mobilization for the completion of Zango General Hospital.”
Governor Radda also revealed that the Ministry of Health has initiated the contracting process to upgrade the Kankara and Dandume Comprehensive Health centers to General Hospitals.
He emphasized that the state council on health, which is the first of its kind, serves as a platform for collaboration between government agencies, healthcare providers, and community organizations to address public health issues in the state.
Outlining the terms of reference of the council, Governor Radda named the commissioner of health, Dr. Bashir Gambo Saulawa, as the chairman with the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics of the Health Ministry as the secretary.
He said the committee’s mandate includes reviewing the current performance of the state’s health sector and identifying gaps and challenges. This is in addition to mobilizing and allocating resources and ensuring accountability and transparency in the health sector, among others.
Earlier, in a welcome address, Katsina Commissioner of Health, Dr. Bashir Gambo Saulawa, said the State Council on Health would play a crucial role in the state’s journey towards ensuring the well-being and health of its residents.
The commissioner remarked that the council would create an environment where policies and standards set by the national council on health are effectively implemented, monitored, and aligned with the blueprint of the Radda-led administration.
In their separate goodwill messages, development partners and organizations, including UNICEF, WHO, CDC affiliates, and the NGOs of the governor’s wife, cited the commitment of the Radda-led administration in addressing the challenges facing the health sector and promised more collaboration in achieving the set goals.
Wife of the Governor, Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda, who spoke through the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hajiya Hadiza Abubakar Yar’adua, however, emphasized that in addressing health challenges, common problems facing public health, including poverty, fake drugs, and common diseases affecting women and children as well as the larger society, must be considered.
