From Muawuya Bala Idris, Katsina
The Katsina State Government has so far renovated and equipped 260 Primary Health Centres across the state, the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Shamsudeen Yahaya, has said.
Yahaya disclosed this on Monday during the opening ceremony of a three-day 2025 Mandatory Community Practitioner Programme for Community Health Practitioners in Katsina State.
Our correspondent reports that the training, which focuses on capacity building and digitisation, is being attended by participants from states within the North-West zone.
According to Yahaya, each of the renovated health centres has been provided with clean water, accommodation for doctors, ambulances, and modern medical equipment.
He said the government plans to renovate an additional 110 health centres within the next two years and is working toward ensuring the functionality of health centres in all 361 wards across the state before 2027.
He also revealed that Governor Dikko Umar Radda recently approved an Automatic Replacement Policy aimed at addressing the manpower gap in general hospitals and primary health centres.
“With this policy, the recruitment of community health workers and midwives will soon commence,” Yahaya said.
He urged health workers to support the government’s efforts in reducing the maternal mortality rate across the state.
Earlier in his remarks, the National President of the Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria, Kabir Yahaya Ahmed, said the three-day programme would equip participants with knowledge on the digitisation process in health service delivery.
Ahmed commended the Katsina State Government for closing down all unregistered health training institutions in the state, describing the move as a step in sanitising the sector and curbing the rise of unqualified health workers.