Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State on Thursday announced plans to establish the state’s first pharmaceutical manufacturing plant to boost local production of medicines.
Radda made the announcement while inaugurating the first General Hospital in Zango Local Government Area of the state.
According to him, the initiative is part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve access to essential drugs and medical consumables.
He said the administration had prioritised the health sector through investments in infrastructure, manpower development, and specialised healthcare services.
Radda added that health facilities in Kafur, Charanchi, Zango, and Dandume LGAs had been upgraded to General Hospitals, while similar projects in Mai’adua and Faskari were nearing completion.
The governor explained that reconstruction was ongoing at General Hospital, Daura, while General Hospitals in Kankara and Mani were undergoing renovation.
He said operating theatres at General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital, Turai Yar’Adua Maternal and Children’s Hospital, and General Hospital, Katsina, had been renovated to improve specialist healthcare.
Radda also disclosed that the state had established a modern 16-bed dialysis centre, describing it as one of the most advanced in North-West Nigeria, adding that an ultra-modern ophthalmology division was under construction.
The governor said more than 280 primary and comprehensive healthcare centres had been renovated across the state, with solar power installed at General Hospitals Katsina and Kankia to ensure stable electricity.
On manpower, he said, the administration had recruited 804 healthcare professionals in the last three years, while six specialist hospitals had secured accreditation for postgraduate residency training.
Radda further announced approval for the accreditation of Dental Therapy Units in five General Hospitals to facilitate internship training.
On medical education, he said, 41 Katsina-sponsored MBBS students in Egypt “are now in their third year. Another batch has been sent to Ethiopia, while a third batch will be sponsored to Russia.
“The newly inaugurated General Hospital in Zango, upgraded from a Comprehensive Health Centre, is the first in the local government and will bring quality secondary healthcare closer to residents.”
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Musa Adamu-Funtua, described the project as another milestone in the administration’s healthcare transformation agenda.
