By Fatima Saka
The Federal Government and Katsina State Government have strengthened emergency healthcare delivery with the launch of 15 Advanced Life Support Ambulances, 238 tricycle ambulances and the commissioning of the General Hospital, Charanchi.
The interventions, unveiled on Tuesday in Charanchi, are aimed at improving access to emergency and secondary healthcare, particularly for residents of rural and hard-to-reach communities.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, jointly unveiled the interventions, while the Federal Government also donated three additional ambulances to the state, bringing the total number available to 18.
Speaking at the event, Pate said the State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (SEMSAS) was designed to connect communities, local governments and healthcare facilities, thereby providing residents with dependable emergency assistance, timely transportation and access to appropriate treatment.
He said the intervention was in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), which brings together the Federal Government, states, the FCT and development partners to strengthen Nigeria’s health system.
Radda described the launch of the emergency ambulance system as a major milestone in the state’s efforts to save lives and improve timely access to emergency healthcare.
He said the 15 Advanced Life Support Ambulances would provide specialised emergency care and patient stabilisation during transportation, while the 238 tricycle ambulances would enhance emergency transportation for residents in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
Radda disclosed that the General Hospital, Charanchi, was the fourth of six secondary healthcare facilities established by his administration.
He said the Funtua and Mai’adua General Hospitals were at advanced stages of completion and were expected to be commissioned before the end of 2026.
According to him, the Charanchi General Hospital was upgraded at a total cost of N2.059 billion and equipped to provide diagnostic, medical, surgical, maternity, emergency and other essential services to residents of Charanchi and neighbouring communities.
The governor also said more than 280 Comprehensive and Primary Healthcare Centres had been renovated and revitalised across the state.
He added that the state government had, in the last three years, recruited 804 healthcare personnel across various cadres, commenced postgraduate medical residency training in six departments and embarked on the solarisation of hospitals to ensure 24-hour electricity supply.
The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (KATSEMSAS), Dr Adamu Aminu Adamu, said the agency would strengthen emergency response across the state through ambulance coordination, rapid response, patient transportation and improved referral linkages between communities and healthcare facilities.
Aminu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to saving lives, reducing preventable deaths and improving health indices.
He said the commissioning of the ambulances would ensure that pregnant women in labour could access emergency transportation and that no resident of Katsina State would be denied timely emergency medical care because of distance or delays.
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